Cleveland Cavaliers and Team USA star point guard, Kyrie Irving, reveals that he was very close to playing for Team Australia, after the "Boomers" gave Team USA a run for their money in their closely contested Olympic matchup.
Irving was a major factor for the Team USA victory, with a clutch three pointer in the fourth quarter, after the "Boomers" cut the Americans' lead to just four with little time remaining. The 24 year-old NBA Champion finished with double digit points, scoring 19 points, keeping Team USA afloat, and Carmelo Anthony, the game's highest scorer, finished off the pesky Australians, according to SB Nation.
The outcome of the game would have been a little different if Kyrie Irving made the decision to play against Team USA, as he had previously considered playing for his birth country, Australia. The All-Star point guard is a native of Australia, being born in Melbourne. Irving, whose father played professional basketball for the Australian league, holds dual citizenship, vouching him to play for the US as well as Australia.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski, who has brought Team USA back to life after a series of disappointing trips to the Olympics, convinced Irving that he could be a part of something bigger, he could be a point guard for the most decorated basketball team in Olympic history. "It was a legit thing, until Coach K intervened." says Irving, "He strong-armed me. As a young fella, he did tell me I had a chance to be a part of something bigger than myself," according to a report from NBC Sports.
Irving, who had aspirations of being a point guard for an Olympic team, had considered playing for Australia due to the disbelief that he would actually develop into a player who was worthy of being a part of a stacked NBA roster. Years later, Irving has become one of the NBA's top young players, winning an NBA ring with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2015-2016.
Team USA will take on the Tony Parker and Team France next, in Day 9 of the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
