What does Kyrie Eleison mean? Kyrie Irving's cryptic X post prompts confusion

Over the years, Kyrie Irving has cemented himself as one of the best players in the NBA for his incredible ball-handling and shotmaking. Besides being an NBA champion back in 2016, Irving has also been an eight-time all-star and has made the All-NBA Second Team twice in his career.

Outside of his basketball accomplishments, the Mavericks star is also recognized as one of the more vocal individuals in the league. He would often use his social media platforms to express himself or his stance on certain issues and topics.

Speaking of his social media platforms, Kyrie Irving recently posted "Kyrie Eleison" on his X account. As he did not follow up on this post to try to explain what he meant, some fans were left confused in the comments section.

So what does "Kyrie Eleison" mean? Interestingly, the term refers to "Lord have mercy," as per the New Advent's website definition. It is an expression that is constantly used in Christian liturgies, dating back to pre-Christian

Additionally, Wanderings' Michael J. Montegut described the term as a form of prayer that has similarities to Muslim and Jewish traditions. When it comes to Irving, one can say that he has expressed his religious practices and beliefs more openly than most players in the NBA.

With the Mavericks star being one of the most popular Muslim athletes, he wanted to express his religious belief on X, including the emojis, as more of a wholesome post from him for his fans to see.

---

Kyrie Irving on converting to Islam

In regards to Kyrie Irving being a Muslim, he talked about his conversion to Islam in an interview with Andscape's Khaled A. Beydoun.

"All praise is due to God, Allah, for this," Irving said. "For me, in terms of my faith and what I believe in, being part of the Muslim community, being committed to Islam and also just being committed to all races and cultures, and religions, just having an understanding and respect. I just want to put that as a foundation."

Besides dazzling fans on the court with his incredible basketball skills, Kyrie Irving has not shied away from letting the world know more about him outside of his NBA profession.

Most athletes would much rather keep things to themselves, but for Irving, sharing this part about himself is something that is of importance to him as a foundation.

For the Mavericks guard, there is more to life than just basketball and doing what he loves to do as a profession. For Irving, this side of himself is something that he is committed to out of "understanding and respect."