Nets star Kyrie Irving needed to be near perfect on Sunday in order to join some exclusive NBA company. In 29 minutes of game action, he was just that.
Irving was perfect on three three-point attempts, raising his season three-point shooting percentage to 40.2%. That places Irving in the elite 50-40-90 shooting club, making him the ninth player in league history to accomplish that feat over the course of a full season.
Irivng finished with 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting in Sunday’s 123-109 win over the Cavaliers. For the regular season, he shot 50.6% from the field overall with a 92.2% clip from the free throw line.
Teammate Kevin Durant is also a member of the 50-40-90 club, joining in the 2012-13 season. The most recent player to pull it off was Malcolm Brogdon in 2018-19. Stephen Curry preceded Brogdon, doing so in 2015-16 when he won his second consecutive league MVP award.
Durant, who had 23 points and 13 assists in Sunday’s game, praised Irving for his achievement in a post-game interview.
“His work ethic, how he cares about his teammates, how he approaches the game every single day is the reason why he can go out there and do something so remarkable as 50-40-90,” Durant said. “We almost expect that from Kyrie, and that shows how great he is. Welcome to the club.”
Larry Bird was the founding member of the 50-40-90 club, hitting those marks in back-to-back seasons from 1986-88. Mark Price joined the following year, followed by Reggie Miller in 1993-94.
Steve Nash has pulled off 50-40-90 a record four times—first in 2005-06 and then three straight years from 2007-10. Dirk Nowitzki also joined the club in 2006-07.
Irving had previously shot 40% on 3-point attempts four times and shot 90% from the free throw line twice, but had never shot 50% from the field for a full season. His previous career high was 49.1% during the 2017-18 season.
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