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Irving wants to represent the country he was born in…Oz bless ya Kyrie

The No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers is Australia’s Kyrie Irving, although there are lingering questions about whether the 19-year-old will play for the Boomers.

Kyrie Irving, born in Melbourne and having spent the initial two years of his life in Australia before relocating to New York, has expressed his ambition to compete for the Boomers at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Despite his enthusiasm, Irving has represented the United States at the junior level, which could present a significant barrier to his goal of playing for Australia.

Irving marks the second Australian to be drafted at No. 1 in seven years, following Andrew Bogut’s selection by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2005.

The 19-year-old point guard expressed his excitement about joining the Cavaliers.

“I’m looking forward to getting to Cleveland and it feels good to get the hat on,” Irving remarked.

“I’m really looking forward to the NBA.”

Born in Victoria, Irving’s father, Drederick, was recruited to the Bulleen Boomers in the early 1990s by Brett Brown, the current head coach of the Boomers.

Drederick and Brown, who were college teammates at Boston University, have maintained their friendship over the years.

After the draft, Drederick expressed pride in his son, reminding him to “be himself.”

“This is all about Kyrie; I think Kyrie brings a lot to the table and I’m excited for him,” Drederick noted.

The Irving family relocated back to New York when Kyrie was only two, but he recently mentioned in an interview his desire to play for the country of his birth.

“You know, it would be great to play for my country, which is primarily Australia, so I was born there and I want to represent Australia,” Kyrie Irving stated.

“I have dual citizenship with Australia and America.”

“I want to be claimed by Australia.”

To fulfill his aspirations of playing for the Boomers, Irving requires clearance from USA Basketball and FIBA due to his previous representation of the US in junior international basketball in 2010.

Buford Balony says: Another Aussie No.1 draft pick. Soon, the dream team will mean the Aussie Boomers.

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