On Oct. 23, 2019, Kyrie Irving had a debut to remember.
In his first game with the Brooklyn Nets, Irving exploded for 50 points on 17-for-33 shooting from the field, 7-for-14 from 3-point range and 9-for-10 from the free throw line. He added eight rebounds, seven assists and one block to his stat line.
Irving took over down the stretch, scoring or assisting on 13 straight points late in the fourth quarter to force overtime.
Unfortunately for Irving and the Nets, the Minnesota Timberwolves prevailed in the extra period.
👀 @KyrieIrving goes off for 50 PTS, 8 REB, 7 AST in his @BrooklynNets debut! #KiaTipOff19 #WeGoHard pic.twitter.com/QQXCvDAp3V
— NBA (@NBA) October 24, 2019
Irving's 50 points are the most ever scored by a player in a debut with a new team, surpassing Kiki Vandeweghe, who scored 47 points in his debut with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1984, and Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 43 points in his debut with the Philadelphia Warriors in 1959.
Furthermore, Irving became only the fifth player ever to have a 50-point game in their team's season opener, per Justin Kubatko of StatMuse, joining Elgin Baylor, Michael Jordan, Anthony Davis and Chamberlain.
Talk about first impressions.
Also on Oct. 23...
- 1962: Wilt Chamberlain scored 56 points in a win over the Detroit Pistons
- 1965: Wilt Chamberlain scored 53 points in a win over the ... Detroit Pistons
- 1973: Elmore Smith of the Los Angeles Lakers blocked 10 shots in a win over the Houston Rockets
- 1979: Eddie Jordan recorded eight steals in a half, tying the all-time record
- 2012: NBA removed the centre position from the All-Star ballot
- 2018: Blake Griffin scored 50 points in a win over the Philadelphia 76ers
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