Tell ya what, it’s not often we get to celebrate a ‘Strayan first here… but four years ago, on this very date, Aussie Kyrie Irving recorded THE FIRST EVER NBA TRIPLE DOUBLE BY AN AUSSIE!
That’s right: in 2014, leading his pre-LeBron homecoming Cleveland Cavaliers against the pre-Jingles Utah Jazz, Kyrie bobbed and weaved like bloody Kostya Tszyu, and, in a huge 20-point win, knocked the Jazz all over the park on the way to his first ever (and to date, only) triple double!
And look, some might say Big Ben Simmons’ first triple double this year was the first by an Australian… but they’d be wrong: Kyrie being born in Melbourne and him holding dual citizenship would back us up with — in the same way I can say a fried Dim Sim and a Strawberry Big M is the greatest food combo on Earth — #facts.
Still, looking back, it does seem remarkable that Big Luc Longley never topped 10 assists in a game (and Dennis Rodman spent his career stealing big Luc’s rebounds), nor has the Croatian Wilt Chamberlain Andrew Bogut (probably because flogs like Brandon Jennings hogged the ball and missed every bloody time Bogey passed to them)… while yesterday’s #NBA #Straya Never Forget was probably old mate King Delly of Maryborough Matthew Dellavedova‘s best chance. He had his 10 boards, but then those bloody jokers JR Smith and Iman Shumpert missed every shot that Delly set up for them with more panache than a Parramatta postie.
ANYWAY! Kyrie cleaned up the Jazz like he was Mitchell Johnson wiping out the South Africans at the WACA in 2008!
The Melbournian Marvel tallied a masterful 21 points on 7-of-16 from the floor (including 1/3 from downtown), but also handed off 12 assists like he was Basketball Santa and that big nuftie Spencer Hawes was some sort of giant moron kid, and tore down 10 rebounds with more centrifugal force than the Lethal Weapon ride at Movie World on the Goldie when we went there back in ‘99!
Sure Aussie Kyrie had 5 turnovers and one foul, but c’mon! Little fella is only 6-3 and put up a triple double more dominating than Blues legend Wayne ‘The Dominator’ Johnston!
AND this all before Rusty Westbrook figured out that if you get a giant Kiwi fella to box out every rebound for you, you can snag 10 boards in your bloody sleep: Kyrie had to battle to get the first ever Aussie triple double like a real man! Unreal! He earned his dimmie and strawberry Big M that day, I’ll tell ya.
#ONYA Kyrie!
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