So, I was just scrolling around the other day, you know, thinking about random stuff, and Kyrie Irving came to mind. The basketball player, obviously. Incredible talent, no doubt about that. But then, a little thought popped into my head – I vaguely remembered hearing something about his background, something beyond just being a sports star. Something about his roots.
I figured, why not look it up? Just a quick search, see what’s out there. And honestly, I wasn’t expecting to get too deep into it, but what I found was pretty significant, at least to me.
First off, I learned about his mom, Elizabeth. She passed away when Kyrie was really young, like only four years old, which is tough. But the thing that stood out was her heritage. She was African American, and also, she was Lakota. That’s a Native American tribe, specifically the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. That piece of information really caught my attention.
So, I kept digging a little bit. It wasn’t just some distant, forgotten connection. It turns out Kyrie and his sister, Asia, have actively connected with this part of their heritage. This wasn’t just a historical factoid; it was something current, something they were involved in.
Connecting with the Tribe
And then I found this part that was really something. A few years back, Kyrie and his sister were formally welcomed into the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. They had a whole traditional naming ceremony for him. That’s not something that happens every day, you know? It happened in Cannon Ball, North Dakota.
During this ceremony, they gave him a Lakota name. His name is “Hela,” which means “Little Mountain.” How about that? Little Mountain. It has a real ring to it, doesn’t it? It shows a deep respect and a real bond, I think.
It’s clear from things I’ve read that Kyrie himself feels a strong connection to this. He’s spoken about his Native American heritage and how much pride he takes in representing the tribe his late mother was born into. It’s not just a label; it seems to be a genuine part of who he is and how he sees himself. He even had a special design on one of his sneakers once that honored the tribe.
It’s always interesting when you find out these deeper layers to people you only know from one particular field, like sports. Learning about his connection to the Lakota people, his mom’s story, and that naming ceremony – it just adds a whole other dimension. Pretty cool to see him embrace that side of his family history.
