{{Short description|American basketball player (born 1966)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}} {{Infobox basketball biography | name = Drederick Irving | image = | alt = | number = 11 | position = Shooting Guard | career_start = 1984 | career_end = 1993 | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1966|01|11}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-irving/148738882/|title=BU celebrates, 80–65|last=Cadigan|first=Barry|newspaper=The Boston Globe|date=1986-01-12|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> | birth_place = The Bronx, New York, U.S. | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 4 | weight_lb = 170 | high_school = Adlai E. Stevenson High School (The Bronx, New York) (1980-1984) | college = Boston University (1984–1988) | highlights = * Lou Cohen MVP Award (1988)<ref name=Bostonia/> * 2× First-team All-ECACN (1986, 1988)<ref>{{cite web |author1=Boston University Athletics Staff |title=Hall of Fame Profile - Drederick Irving |url=https://goterriers.com/sports/2016/6/13/hallfame-irving-dederick-html.aspx |website=Go Terriers |access-date=21 September 2025 |date=13 June 2016}}</ref><ref name="B17"/> * Second-team All-ECACN (1987) * ECACN All-Freshman Team (1985) }} '''Drederick Irving''' (born January 11, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at Boston University from 1984 to 1988. He is the father of National Basketball Association (NBA) player Kyrie Irving.
==Basketball career== ===High school=== Irving was raised in public housing in the Bronx.<ref name="C11">{{cite news|url=https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2011/06/for_kyrie_and_dred_irving_a_lo.html|title=For Kyrie and Dred Irving, a long, winding road took them to a magical draft night (and the Cleveland Cavaliers)|last=Schmitt Boyer|first=Mary|date=2011-06-26|website=Cleveland.com|access-date=2024-06-05}}</ref> He practiced gymnastics before switching to basketball at age ten.<ref name="B88">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-irving/148738687/|title=Irving accomplished – and on a mission|last=MacMullan|first=Jackie|newspaper=The Boston Globe|date=1988-01-26|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> He played on the varsity basketball team at Adlai E. Stevenson High School. He spent his junior year as a reserve player and committed to Boston University in the fall of his senior year.<ref name="B88"/> In his senior season, as a starter, he set a single-season record with 521 points and was all-city and all-division.<ref name="B88"/>
===College=== In his sophomore, junior & senior years, Irving led the Boston University Terriers with 18, 18.8 & 19.9 points per game respectively.<ref name="B88"/> In his senior year, while second in the Eastern College Athletic Conference-North with 20.3 points per game, he became BU's all-time leading scorer on February 5, 1988.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/hartford-courant-irving/148739009/|title=Jones and Irving: Hartford must handle inside-out combo|last=Smith|first=George|date=1988-03-10|newspaper=Hartford Courant|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The Terriers won the North Atlantic Conference tournament to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, where they lost to No. 2 Duke in the opening round.<ref name="E12"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/hartford-courant-net/148739161/|title=BU finally gets its net result, winning NAC title|last=Smith|first=George|date=1988-03-13|newspaper=Hartford Courant|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
BU retired his No. 11 jersey in 1988 and inducted him into the BU Athletic Hall of Fame.<ref name="B17">{{cite news|url=https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-celtics/2017/08/22/meet-kyrie-irvings-dad-drederick-a-former-bu-basketball-star/|title=Meet Kyrie Irving's dad, Drederick — a former BU basketball star|last=Smyth|first=Sean|date=2017-08-22|website=Boston.com|access-date=2024-06-05}}</ref> His 1,931 career points now rank third in program history.<ref name="E12"/><ref name="B17"/>
===Professional=== In 1992, Irving moved to Australia to play for the Bulleen Boomers of the South East Australian Basketball League,<ref name="E12"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://people.com/all-about-kyrie-irving-parents-8651029|title=All About Kyrie Irving's Parents, Elizabeth and Drederick Irving|last=Caruso|first=Skyler|date=2024-05-20|magazine=People|access-date=2024-06-05}}</ref> where he averaged 30 points per game.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://websites.mygameday.app/assoc_page.cgi?client=1-9686-0-0-0&sID=282674&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=23873651|title=Drederick Irving|work=1st Pick Hoops|access-date=21 August 2024}}</ref> He also unsuccessfully tried out for the Boston Celtics of the NBA and played in the Pro-Am League in New York.<ref name="E12"/>
==Career statistics== ===College=== {{NBA player statistics start}} |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1984–85 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston University | 30 || 7 || 18.6 || .404 || - || .684 || 1.4 || 0.9 || 0.8 || 0.0 || 6.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1985-86 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston University | '''31''' || '''31''' || '''33.9''' || '''.488''' || - || '''.791''' || 2.8 || 2.1 || '''1.2''' || 0.0 || 18.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1986-87 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston University | 30 || 30 || 31.3 || .466 || .407 || .740 || 3.2 || 2.3 || '''1.2''' || .0 || 18.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1987-88 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston University | '''31''' || - || - || .482 || '''.432''' || .756 || '''3.4''' || '''2.8''' || '''1.2''' || '''0.2''' || '''19.9''' |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 122 || 68 || 28.0 || .469 || .422 || .754 || 2.7 || 2.0 || 1.1 || .1 || 15.8 {{S-end}}
==Personal life==
Irving met his first wife, Elizabeth Larson, while in college. They married and moved to the Seattle area, where Irving worked as a credit manager for a finance company.<ref name="C11"/> Their son, Kyrie, was born in Australia while Irving was playing professional basketball.<ref name="C11"/> Irving's childhood friend Rod Strickland, who played in the NBA, is Kyrie's godfather.<ref name="B88"/><ref>{{cite web|author=Gary Washburn|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/celtics/2018/08/11/the-kyrie-irving-rod-strickland-connection/XUD6dmHYBCzkpC13PPpZrL/story.html|title=The Kyrie Irving-Rod Strickland connection|publisher=The Boston Globe|date=August 11, 2018|archive-url=https://archive.today/20220922220000/https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/celtics/2018/08/11/the-kyrie-irving-rod-strickland-connection/XUD6dmHYBCzkpC13PPpZrL/story.html|archive-date=22 September 2022}}</ref> Elizabeth died when Kyrie was four years old.<ref name="C11"/> Irving raised Kyrie and daughter Asia in New Jersey and worked as a financial broker on Wall Street.<ref name="C11"/><ref name="E12">{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/page/kyrieirving_120224/nba-father-laid-plan-kyrie-irving-followed-it|title=A father dedicated to helping his son|last=MacMullan|first=Jackie|date=2012-02-23|publisher=ESPN|access-date=2024-06-05}}</ref> He married Shetellia Riley, who would become Kyrie's agent, in 2004 and had another daughter, London.<ref>{{cite web|author=Terry Shropshire|title=Kyrie Irving makes history after naming stepmom as his agent|url=https://rollingout.com/2022/03/07/kyrie-irving-makes-history-after-naming-stepmom-as-his-agent/|publisher=Rolling Out|access-date=March 9, 2022|date=May 7, 2022|archive-date=March 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307192444/https://rollingout.com/2022/03/07/kyrie-irving-makes-history-after-naming-stepmom-as-his-agent/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="E12"/>
Irving was signed by his son to his Anta signature shoe line. This is the first time an athlete has signed their dad to a shoe deal.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sam |first1=Doric |title=Mavs' Kyrie Irving Reportedly Signs Father, Drederick, to ANTA Signature Shoe Line |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10123583-mavs-kyrie-irving-reportedly-signs-father-drederick-to-anta-signature-shoe-line |website=Bleacher Report |access-date=21 September 2025 |date=4 June 2024}}</ref><ref name=Bostonia>{{cite web |last1=Laskowski |first1=Amy |title=Kyrie Irving Signs His Dad—BU Alum Drederick Irving—to His Shoe Line |url=https://www.bu.edu/articles/2024/kyrie-irving-signs-dad-to-shoe-line/ |website=Bostonia |publisher=Boston University |access-date=21 September 2025 |date=5 June 2024}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/drederick-irving-1.html Drederick Irving] at Sports Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irving, Drederick}} Category:Living people Category:1966 births Category:American men's basketball players Category:Basketball players from the Bronx Category:Boston University Terriers men's basketball players Category:Guards (basketball) Category:20th-century American sportsmen