Dallas Mavericks superstar point guard Kyrie Irving is known for his high-level talents on the court, but his off-court contributions to those in need — many of which fly under the radar — are even more impressive.
One of the latest acts of goodwill from the eight-time All-Star and NBA champion came in the form of a donation to The Ark , which is a recently-opened sports complex in Jackson, Mississippi. The Ark’s goal is to give the public, and especially the South Jackson youth, a safe place to enjoy several activities, including basketball.
“For someone of that magnitude, Kyrie Irving, he’s one of the top players in the NBA. For him to send us some resources [for this] court, I think people see that [say], ‘You know what, something that we do here, it does matter,'” The Ark’s founder Ronnie Crudup Jr. said .
To make things even better for those who have the opportunity to play on in, local artist Christopher Windfield painted a mural featuring Irving’s face and logo as a backdrop to the state-of-the-art court. Its purpose is to hopefully serve as inspiration to all who play on it. At the very least, kids will know that Irving helped provide this opportunity for them, and that could make a difference in their futures.