Report: Kyrie Irving Commits $1.5 Million to Help Pay WNBA Players Sitting Out 2020 Season

Former Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star Kyrie Irving often seems to be on the wrong end of public opinion, but his most recent move is sure to garner nothing but applause.

On Monday, Irving announced that he would be donating $1.5 million to help cover the lost income of WNBA stars who are sitting out of the current season due to concerns related to COVID-19 or social justice reasons.

“The funds will come from the KAI Empowerment Initiative that Irving launched Monday. It will also provide players with a financial literacy program created by UBS,” the Associated Press reported.

“Irving said that with the help of WNBA players Natasha Cloud — who chose to sit out — and Jewell Loyd, he connected with several WNBA players who discussed with him the challenges they faced in deciding whether to play. The season began Saturday and will be played entirely at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.”

Irving made news earlier this year when he encouraged his fellow NBA stars to sit out the league’s resumption in Orlando, Fla.

Irving also reportedly argued that NBA players should abandon the league altogether and create their own basketball league.

While very few players ended up taking Irving’s stance into consideration, the story made national sports headlines for several days.

Those stances never really got off the ground, but it is clear that his support of the WNBA is far more serious.

Hopefully, this encourages other NBA stars to continue to show support for their female counterparts.