5 times when NBA's vaccine rebel Kyrie Irving gave back to the society

Brooklyn Nets' superstar Kyrie Irving has been in the eye of the storm recently for becoming the face of anti-vaxxers in the NBA with his refusal in getting the COVID-19 vaccine. A lot has been said about Kyrie's inherent selfishness, his mindset that puts him in front of others, his attitude which has caused problems for both him and his teammates and his outlandish statements. All of this talks about Kyrie Irving, the basketball star and not Kyrie the human being.

Kyrie has been one of the most outspoken and vocal athletes when it comes to social justice issues. He backs up these conversations with action, using the Kyrie Andrew Irving Foundation and other initiatives like the KAI Empowerment Initiative to help various causes. He has been at the forefront of giving back to society and has not shied away from speaking up on issues that a person of his stature would usually stay away from.

Kyrie Irving made donations every single day from December 1st to 11th, according to an article by Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. When asked about his charitable ventures in an interview with Winfield, Kyrie said,

“There’s a deeper level of emotions that I have for helping and serving people around the world. And I’ve done it since I was a kid. I’ll continue on my way after basketball. There’s nothing normal about this life that I live. It’s just something I’ve come to accept and embrace. Let me use this as a tool to be able to change things that I want to see in the world, and I have to be honest with myself about how much energy I give that, and how many others I’m impacting.”

Kyrie's words and actions when it comes to societal problems are aligned as he wants to make this world a better place by using basketball as a platform to do so. Irving's contributions and actions off the court talk louder than his problems on the court for him and will continue to do so as he strives to uplift the world.

Without further ado, here are five significant contributions by Kyrie Irving.

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Five significant contributions by Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving

#5 Donating a house to George Floyd's Family

The Lakers and Suns observing silence as a mark of respect for George Floyd

The death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black security officer at the hands of a former police officer Derek Chauvin, who knealt on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes to restrain him until he died of suffocation despite him complaining of feeling breathless. The incident sent ripples throughout the country as many took to the streets and to their platforms to condemn the incident and seek justice for George Floyd.

Kyrie Irving was among the many in his NBA brethren to use his platform to talk about the issue of police brutality and systemic racism which had led to the death of Floyd and many others like him. The incident brought the community a lot closer as various celebrities and athletes stepped up to help the family during their tough time. Kyrie went one step further as he bought a house for George Floyd's family, according to former NBA player and Floyd's close friend, Stephen Jackson.

Irving spoke about the gesture at a news conference, saying,

"I just want to keep continuing to fulfill our purpose in serving a lot of the underserved communities. Those don't necessarily get the same attention from just others around. So, just trying to do my part with service, that's all."

Kyrie's gesture will surely go a long way in helping the family recover and look towards a better future.

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#4 Kyrie Irving pays off tuition for nine students at HBCU Lincoln University

Kyrie Irving has proved that he is a star both on and off the court with his charitable gestures

Kyrie has always said that he wants to be judged for his accomplishments both on and off the court, he is a champion on the court and proves to be one off the court too. He is a huge inspiration for the next generation and uses his platform and his charitable organization to promote various causes.

Education has been one of the key areas that Kyrie Irving has concentrated on. Kyrie, through a foundation dedicated to advocating for women and girls affected by past trauma, has donated school supplies for 25 Kenyan girls. He has also paid for the renovation of sports facilities at his alma mater, the Patrick School, while also donating 100 book bags with personal care to teens and young adults at the Newark’s Covenant House shelter.

Kyrie has been a beacon of change for the youth, helping them forge a bright future through education and sports. His contribution to HBCU's particularly stands out as Irving paid off the college tuition of nine students studying at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania through his KAI Foundation as part of their 11 days of giving celebrations every December.

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#3 Kyrie Irving launches a campaign to help distribute meals to those in need throughout the greater New York area

Kyrie Irving comes through in the clutch when society needed someone like him the most

Kyrie Irving stepped up and did his part to help the people impacted the most by the Coronavirus outbreak, donating $323,000 and launching a campaign to help distribute meals to those in need throughout the greater New York area.

Irving made the announcement of his donation on his birthday, saying that heselectedd the sum of the donation due to his birth date (3/23). The sum is also reported to be an ode to the late great Kobe Bryant, who was a mentor to Irving and a huge influence on him.

Irving released a statement on Instagram explaining his gesture and also encouraging others to join him in donating. He said,

Thank you all for the birthday love, I'm extremely grateful for the support. Seeing the effects of COVID-19 reach our loved ones, our schools, our jobs, and access to food has really impacted me. I am excited to partner with Feeding America and Lin Eagle Logistics to launch the Share A Meal campaign to help marginalized communities get the food resources they require during this time, and to work with our local partner City Harvest NYC to distribute 250k meals to my neighbors in need across the NY area. In addition to that I am donating $323k to Feeding America and Lin Eagle Logistics will match $200k of what we raise together. I am asking my fans, friends, family and partners to join me in helping our communities by donating at the link in my bio. Thank you to everyone on the front line working to keep all of us safe, healthy, and fed. Together we can change the world one small gesture at a time.

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#2 Kyrie donates $1.5 million to WNBA players during the pandemic

Seattle Storm superstar and WNBA legend Sue Bird

Kyrie Irving, through his words and actions, has been a huge proponent of women's empowerment and advocate for the WNBA. Kyrie, like his mentor Kobe Bryant, has used his platform plenty of times to heap praise on players from the WNBA and talk about issues plauging them, showing a long-term commitment to grow the league.

Kyrie stepped in to do his bit when the WNBA said it would only pay players only if they had a medical exemption despite giving them the opportunity to opt out during the 2020 bubble. Irving, through his KAI Empowerment Initiative, said that a $1.5 million fund had been created to pay the salaries of players who decided to opt out due to COVID-19 or social justice reasons. The initiative also provided access to a financial literacy program by UBS.

Kyrie came up with the initiative after several conversations with WNBA stars such as Jewel Loyd, where he got to know the challenges and difficulties they faced in deciding to opt out for the season.

WNBA legend Sue Bird recognized Irving's gesture and heaped praise on him. In a post-game interview, she said,

“Yeah, I think Kyrie [Irving] is the kind of guy, he sees outside himself a lot of the time, extremely unselfish, and this is just another example of that. Obviously, everyone sees the big number, you know $1.5 million, and they can get caught up in that. To me, what I love about it is the opportunity that all of us, as WNBA players, will have, if we want is to take courses in financial literacy. And that goes beyond just the one-time offering. It goes well beyond that, and I think what he is trying to do is support women, and support the WNBA. Not just now, but long term, and it is admirable.”

Kyrie will continue to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Black Mamba as he looks to take the WNBA to greater heights just as Kobe wanted.

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#1 Kyrie Irving Foundation provides over 1,000 people with clean water and elctricity in Pakistan

Kyrie Irving is as efficient off the court as he is on it

Kyrie's impact is felt all the way on the other side of the world, as the Kyrie Andrew Irving Foundation's work with the University of Michigan's student-run charity Paani will provide access to clean water and electricity to over 1000 villagers in Pakistan.

Kyrie learned about Paani, which means water in Urdu, through their outreach programs and decided to donate to the organization. Irving's donation will be used to build a solar water center in the country. Paani was created with the intention of focusing on nurturing relationships with people living in Pakistan and coordinating projects that directly improve their quality of life.

Sonny Khan, co-founder of Paani, praised Irving's work off the court and also said that he was very grateful for his donation. In an interview with Kate Weiland of The Michigan Daily, he said,

“I love watching the players, learning their stories and following the moments on the court, but much bigger was how they continue to be these amazing heroes and role models and inspirations off the floor. I always wanted to work with somebody like Kyrie because I knew he cared about this level of charity. A lot of his work is focused on creating self-sustaining communities and ensuring that people who are often overlooked or left out or are misheard are instead inspired and empowered.”

Kyrie, despite being labeled a villain more often than not due to his rocky relationship with the media, has continued to be a hero in many communities due to his inspiring social outreach programs and campaigns which he continues to strive for.