Duke basketball: Kyrie Irving donates $1.5M to WNBA opt-out players

Former Duke basketball star Kyrie Irving is donating $1.5 million to WNBA players that opted out of the 2020 season because of COVID-19 concerns.

With always the best interest of himself and his peers at heart, former Blue Devil star Kyrie Irving has received a tremendous amount of criticism for expressing his ideas, but no one will argue against him for his latest efforts.

In an attempt to help promote the WNBA and gender equality in the sport of basketball, the Brooklyn Nets star is committing $1.5 million to players that opted out of the 2020 season because of COVID-19 concerns or due to wanting to create awareness for social justice.

The news was first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic, and the money covers what the players would be missing in terms of salary should they have participated in the season.

ALSO READ: Kyrie Irving will not play in NBA’s resumed season

Irving is not taking part in the NBA’s restarted season as he still recovers from a shoulder injury suffered during the regular season, but the All-Star was a loud voice in expressing caution with the resumption of the season in the bubble in Orlando, Florida.

Kyrie Irving used the pandemic, social and racial injustices, and the unknown of the bubble as reasons why his peers should be hesitant to jump right in and play basketball once again.

The words and ideas of Irving were met with severe criticism as the NBA gets set to officially restart its season this Thursday, July 30.

ALSO READ: Kyrie Irving helps coronavirus relief with a large donation

The WNBA began its regular season on Saturday, July 25, as the league is also in a bubble in Florida but will be living and playing on the IMG Academy campus in Bradenton.

Kyrie Irving, the former Duke basketball star who will always use his platform to try and raise awareness for a certain cause or to uplift others, is stepping up with yet another terrific gesture for his fellow professional basketball players.