A former Duke basketball star fully paid the college tuition for nine students.
It’s the season for giving, and one former Duke basketball star is supplying one of the best gifts of the year.
The often criticized and rarely praised All-NBA point guard Kyrie Irving is always making a positive impact off the court in his community, and the hardships of 2020 did not deter the New Jersey native from helping those in need.
Irving pledged to donate enough money to Lincoln University, a Historically Black College and University, for nine students, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported.
Irving broke the news to the nine students in a virtual meeting;
Here’s the video of Kyrie Irving telling the nine students at the HBCU Lincoln University that he was paying for their tuition via the KAI Family Foundation: pic.twitter.com/Ca3qssJvXA
— Alex Schiffer (@Alex__Schiffer) December 31, 2020
The donation was made on behalf of Kyrie Irving’s foundation, the K.A.I. Family Foundation, in partnership with its 11 days of giving in the month of December.
Duke basketball star no stranger to making large donations
At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Kyrie Irving donated $323,000 and 250,000 meals to families and individuals who were impacted by COVID-19, which was then followed by a $1.5 million donation to WNBA players sitting out of their season due to concerns over the virus or social justice issues.
Irving had also fully funded the athletic renovations at his high school, St. Patrick’s (N.J.), now known as The Patrick School, in 2018.
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The six-time All-Star had just been fined $25,000 for violating the NBA’s media rules and regulations following the release of a statement rather than holding a press conference at the start of Brooklyn Nets training camp.
Following a season that was plagued by injury, Kyrie Irving has already formed one of the best duos in the NBA with the now-healthy Kevin Durant.
Irving is averaging 26.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game on 48.0 percent shooting from the field and 40.4 percent shooting from 3-point range through five games.