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NBA: Ranking the 10 greatest Duke players in NBA history

By Josh Cornelissen

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - MARCH 06: Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans warms up before a game against the Miami Heat at the Smoothie King Center on March 06, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - MARCH 06: Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans warms up before a game against the Miami Heat at the Smoothie King Center on March 06, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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Duke, NBA
Duke, NBA Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images /

Ranking the 10 greatest Duke players in NBA history: 2. Kyrie Irving

There is a step up at this point to the top two players on this list. With just two exceptions, no former Duke player has been to more than three All-Star Games, and pending the announcement of the 2020-21 All-NBA teams, no one made more than one team.

That changes for our top two, clearly in a tier of their own amongst their fellow Duke alums. Kyrie Irving comes first, with a whopping seven All-Star selections (and counting) and two All-NBA nods. It’s a sort of unique irony that the Duke player with the second-best NBA career (and counting) had the least impact while at Duke, playing in just 11 games due to injury.

That didn’t stop Irving from going first overall in the 2011 NBA Draft to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was an immediate sensation as a scoring point guard with one of the league’s best handles and the ability to finish at the rim with exquisite touch.

Irving went from LeBron James’ replacement to his wingman, going to three straight NBA Finals and winning a title in 2016, with Irving hitting the game-winning shot over league MVP Stephen Curry. He has since moved through a rough stint with the Boston Celtics to join Kevin Durant and James Harden on the Brooklyn Nets, where he is again in contention for titles.

In nine seasons he has already accumulated 68.7 win shares, all the more impressive given his laundry list of injuries and games missed. Still in his prime, Irving will only add to his prodigious resume as one of the best pro players to make his way through Duke University.