Former Duke Blue Devils star Kyrie Irving came in ranked in the top 50 of NBA players heading into the new season.
The Duke Blue Devils have seen a lot of success from their basketball program over the years, with them producing countless stars at the NBA level. The historic nature of the program tends to make players want to come to Durham, giving their rosters a boost.
Some players have made major names for themselves with the Blue Devils, while others only played one season. But sometimes, even the one and done players have earned a strong legacy within this program.
One of them is former Duke point guard Kyrie Irving, who only played in 11 games for the program. Irving dealt with injuries while playing for the Blue Devils, but it didn't stop him from being taken first overall in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Irving has been in the NBA ever since, making nine All-Star teams and leading the Cavaliers to a championship in 2016. The star guard's game-winning shot in Game 7 of 2016 NBA Finals still is viewed as one of the more clutch moments in history.
Now with the Dallas Mavericks, Irving is looking to get back on the court after missing all of last season due to injury. Irving is coming off a torn left ACL that he suffered, but this hasn't stopped him from being ranked among the top 50 NBA players coming into the new season.
Irving landed at No. 39 overall in ESPN's Top-100 Player Ranking coming into the 2026-27 NBA season. The Mavericks star will try to regain his form as one of the best guards in the NBA, but it could take him some time to ramp back up.
With the Blue Devils, Irving averaged 17.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game, while shooting 46.2 percent from beyond the three-point line. After just nine games into his freshman season, Irving suffered a brutal toe injury that sidelined him for months.
However, the star guard was able to get back for the NCAA Tournament, leading the Blue Devils to the Sweet Sixteen. Unfortunately for Duke, their run ended in this round, with the team falling to Arizona.
But Irving did score 28 points in the finale for the team against the Wildcats. Despite only playing for one season. Irving has been seen as one of the better stars to come out of Duke over the years, and he is still regarded as a legacy player for this program.
