Kyrie Irving remains a man of his people despite his NBA success.
The Boston Celtics guard had a heart-warming interaction with a crossing guard Wednesday in his hometown of West Orange, N.J. Irving was narrating a walk through his old neighborhood when he encountered the crossing guard, who has worked at that location since the NBA superstar was in seventh or eighth grade.
The crossing guard recalled seeing Irving play as a pre-teen, predicting he’d play college basketball (and probably reach a higher level). He reminded the 27-year-old NBA star he’s proud of him upon reuniting.
Irving shared video of the interaction on Instagram, and here’s part of it via ESPN:
Kyrie caught up with the crossing guard he used to walk by every day in 7th/8th grade. (via @KyrieIrving) pic.twitter.com/iD2IFJqPcm
— ESPN (@espn) June 5, 2019
Irving’s return to his old stomping grounds comes amid an offseason in which he’s expected to opt out of his contract with the Celtics and enter free agency. His comfort back home definitely will fuel speculation he’ll sign with the New York Knicks or Brooklyn Nets, thus allowing him to spend much more time on the West Orange streets in the company of familiar faces like his favorite crossing guard.
