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After a whirlwind year in 2022, it appears that Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving is doing everything he can to make things better in 2023.
Irving’s 2022 was enough alone to fill a full book.
He returned to the Brooklyn Nets after a number of months away due to his refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine. He then took the floor as the Nets got destroyed by the Boston Celtics via a 4-0 sweep in the first round of Eastern Conference playoffs.
Irving then spent the offseason in the middle of trade talks. All while star teammate Kevin Durant made an actual trade request. The seven-time NBA All-Star eventually opted in to the final year of his max contract with Brooklyn.
But it wasn’t long until he was back in the headlines. The Nets suspended Irving after he made antisemitic comments that he then refused to apologize for. Eventually, he returned. Since that point, Brooklyn has been one of the league’s best teams and Irving is a big reason why.
Irving is averaging 26.2 points and 4.6 assists per game through 28 games and leads the Eastern Conference in All-Star votes among guards.
The first All-Star voting results pic.twitter.com/faDfABQR2y
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 5, 2023
He’s also apparently putting in a ton of work off the court to revive his image.
Kyrie Irving Makes Huge Donation To Victims Of Fire
Seven residents in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania (near Penn State University) were displaced after a fire destroyed a home that made up their three apartments.
Since that point, they’ve received an outpouring of support from the community. But they’ve also received support from an unlikely source: Irving.
The basketball superstar donated $22,000 to the previous tenants of the apartments via a GoFundMe. He’s become famous for donating the same amount to various other fundraisers on the platform in recent years.
Irving likely has a long way to get back in the good graces of many. But it’s not a bad start.