NBA star Kyrie Irving recently took notice of a mural tribute created by Filipino artist Maya Carandang. The artwork, depicting Irving in his Dallas Mavericks uniform performing his iconic “hand on fire” gesture, is the first of 100 planned murals aimed at beautifying communities.
Carandang shared an aerial shot of the mural on Instagram, highlighting Irving’s famous buzzer-beater shot from last March, which secured a 107-105 win for the Mavericks against the Denver Nuggets. In his post, Carandang affectionately referred to Irving as “Uncle Drew” and announced the beginning of his mural project, “1st of Maya100. Gifting the community with Mural Art and beautification.” The mural is located in Barangay Pagdaraoan, San Fernando, La Union, and is the first basketball court with mural art in the province.
The mural gained Irving’s attention after a commenter tagged him. Irving responded with enthusiasm, stating, “Next year for sure. Thank you for the LOVE. This is Legendary,” followed by peace sign and rocket emojis. Carandang also shared a screenshot of Irving’s comment, expressing the Philippines’ delight at the prospect of Irving’s visit.
In a previous post, Carandang had posted a close-up of Irving’s portrait, where a speech bubble from one of two figures lying down said, “Hi Uncle Drew, come visit Philippines.” Carandang’s Instagram reel featured a drone shot of the mural with a message encouraging the beautification of the Philippines and expressing hope that their heroes would visit one day.
Irving, an NBA star with a remarkable career, was named Rookie of the Year after being the first overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2011 NBA draft. He played a key role in the Cavaliers’ 2016 NBA championship victory and has been an eight-time All-Star. Irving has also represented the United States in international competitions, winning gold at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympics.