Kyrie Irving might have the best handles in NBA history. Here are five times he used that skill to produce moments of pure magic.
525,600 crossovers. 525,600 moments of shake-and-back. 525,600 crossovers. How do you measure, measure a career? In the case of Kyrie Irving, it’s all about his absolute magical mastery with the ball. Here are five times he suspended the laws of physics and did the impossible.
5. Kyrie Irving destroys Kobe twice in five seconds
Kobe Bryant was known to take off a defensive play or two but he had the chops to make All-Defensive First Team nine different times. And with his length, quickness and intensity he could bring it in any specific matchup. But in this Team USA scrimmage from 2014, Kyrie still burned him twice on a single transition possession.
First, Kyrie hits him with the behind-the-back crossover, catching Kobe leaning and Kevin Durant reaching. He loses Harden with a spin move which allows Kobe a chance to get back into the, right in time for Kyrie to hit him with another behind-the-back crossover, this one going through the legs. The focus of that highlight video is Kyrie breaking down Kobe but keep watching and you can see him destroy pretty much every other member of Team USA.