Today we bring you an insight into the underdogs that have stolen America’s hearts, Cleveland Cavaliers. Everybody knows LeBron, but what do you know about the guy who hit the game winning three-point shot in game seven? Raise your hand if you’ve heard of Kyrie Irving? You will now.
Happy Hump Day,
The Last Night's Game Team
Five things to know about Kyrie Irving
- Kyrie Irving said G’day mate when he was born in Melbourne, Australia where his dad Drederick Irving was playing professional basketball.
- Irving played the role of “Uncle Drew” for a Pepsi MAX advertising campaign. He pranked unsuspecting players when he dressed up as old man, entered into neighborhood pickup games and dominated. The four-part series has over 70 million views on YouTube.
- Irving sang in his high school choir, but ultimately choose to pursue basketball instead of the performing arts. We bet he’s a great addition to team karaoke.
- Irving is the first point guard to have a signature shoe with Nike since Penny Hardaway in the early 1990’s. His brand is the fastest growing shoe brand in Nike history and has released two versions. The aptly named ‘Kyrie 2’ is out now.
- Irving brought the viral “running man challenge” back to life by breaking it down with his own version, during practice no less.
- Career highlights for extra credit – Irving was the #1 pick in 2011 NBA draft; drafted by Cleveland Cavaliers out of Duke University after his freshman year. He has an NBA Championship, All-Star Game MVP, three-time all star, three-point competition champion, NBA Rookie of the Year and will play for Team U.S.A. in the Olympics. Last year during the playoffs he was in the hospital after having knee surgery and this year he was leading the Cavaliers to a championship. Talk about determination.
NBA (National Basketball Association)
- The party continues. Fresh off the plane from celebrating their win as a team in Vegas, the Cleveland Cavaliers will celebrate with their city with a victory parade is this morning. Want to see the support a team gets after breaking 52-year championship drought? Tune in to the parade at 11 am EST.
- Pick me! The NBA draft is on Thursday. Unlike baseball and football, there are only two rounds for a total of 60 picks. Philadelphia 76ers have the first pick and Ben Simmons is considered to be the top pick after one year at LSU. You can catch the draft Thursday at 8 pm EST on ESPN or stream it live here.
Soccer
- That hurt. Argentina dominated Team U.S.A. 4-0 in last night’s semifinal game in Copa America Centenario. In the game, superstar Lionel Messi broke a record for goals scored by an Argentinean player in international play. Argentina will move on to face the winner of Chile/Columbia game (tonight), while the U.S. will play the loser in the third place game on Saturday. The championship game will be on Sunday.
Overtime
- The line up for ESPN The Magazine's annual Body Issue has been announced. This issue of the magazine features tasteful photos of 10 men and nine women athletes au naturel. Notable athletes featured include Dwayne Wade (NBA), Vince Wilfork (a 325-pound NFL player), Conor McGregor (UFC) and retired diver Greg Louganis will be the oldest athlete at age 56. The issue will feature Team USA duathlete Chris Mosier, who will be the first transgender athlete to pose. The issue hits the newsstands July 8th.
Sideline stat
- The salary cap has gone up from $71.5 million to $73 million for the upcoming NHL (hockey) season. The NFL’s salary cap is $143.28 million (2015) and NBA's is $70 million (2015).
Coaches’ Corner
- What is a salary cap? In professional sports a salary cap is an agreement that puts a limit on how much teams can spend on player salaries. This is a method put into place to keep costs down but is mostly to minimize the disparity between teams that have a lot of money to spend on players and those that don’t, with a goal of keeping the sport competitive. To get really technical, MLB (Major League Baseball) does not have a salary cap but a luxury tax system, which is punishment for larger teams that spend too much money. Click here to read more.