by Cedric ‘BIG CED’ Thornton
August 7, 2024
After some prodding by the artist, Irving promised to visit the court next year
Dallas Mavericks star player Kyrie Irving has been recognized in the Philippines with a basketball court mural, the first of 100 planned in the country.
According to Anthlon Sports, the mural was unveiled on Aug. 5 by Philippine artist Maya Carandang, who has been posting his artwork throughout the weeks leading up to the unveiling. Carandang titled the mural “Uncle Drew,” which was the title of the 2018 movie of the same name that Irving starred in. The court is located in Brgy. Pagdaraoan San Fernando La Union Philippines.
“Uncle Drew”
“1st of Maya100. Gifting the community with Mural Art and beautification.
“This bball court is located in Brgy. San Fernando La Union Philippines.”
“Very first Basketball Court with Mural Art in La Union Province.
“99 Basketball Courts to go and your court could be next.♥️ ᜋᜌ ᜁᜐᜅ᜔ ᜇᜀᜈ᜔ #Maya100 #DaviesPaints #TheFilipinoStory
The drawing depicts Irving reacting to being “on fire” after hitting a game-winning shot on March 17 against the Denver Nuggets.
Carandang posted a headshot of the drawing to his social media account, saying, “Hi Uncle Drew, come visit Philippines.” The New Jersey native responded to the invitation by stating he would visit the country next year.
“All I needed was an invite.
“Next year for sure. Thank you for the LOVE. This is Legendary🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾♾♾♾♾🪶🪶🪶🪶🪶”
This was the play that Carandang immortalized in his drawing of Irving.
KYRIE IRVING CALLS GAME 🤯 pic.twitter.com/84bkwS1vW1
— ESPN (@espn) March 17, 2024
Most basketball fans know Irving is a right-hand player, so making that shot with his left hand was a creative depiction. He brought attention to that after making the shot when he went to be congratulated by his teammates on the court. He stared at his left hand before jumping into his teammate’s arms and landing in a pile with them on the hardwood.
The shot gave the Mavericks a 107-105 victory over the Nuggets.
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