Derrel Jazz Johnson of Steed Media talked with Drederick Irving, father of Kyrie, Asia, and London Irving on Thursday, June 13, 2019, for Father’s Day. Here are excerpts from the conversation.
Rolling out: Why is it important to expose children to education and valuable skills?
Irving: Education is the key to broadening a kid’s perspective of the world. I think if you’re close-minded and you don’t take the initiative to educate yourself or be taught, I think you’re missing out on a lot of life lessons. When you have an education, it just gives you a broader perspective on what life is really about.
I think it’s important that kids go to school because not only does it broaden their horizons as a person, but it gives them an opportunity to develop their social skills, which is really important in life. You have to be able to interact with people and be confident and convey messages and network.
For me, [education] gave me the opportunity to meet my first wife, and that was the beginning of my life when I met her at Boston University.
I think education is critical to any kid’s development.
What insightful advice would you suggest about building a network?
If you are going to build a network, I think you obviously have to possess the attributes relative to going out and having the confidence to initiate conversation because networking, if you do it the right way, is a platform to create so many opportunities for an individual. I’ve always been a networker and I’ve always instilled that in my kids.
Name one life lesson that no one taught you but should have.
Lessons are generated from your background and your experience. For me, the way I grew up in the South Bronx in the Mitchel Housing Projects, the one thing I learned at an early age was how to survive.
How important is keeping your word?
Keeping your word, for me, is the only thing I have. My kids, we have this saying that “I give my kids my word as a man,” and that’s the only thing I have is my word.
I think it’s important to deliver when kids are promised things. It’s … critical to deliver, because if you don’t, there could be some repercussions that parents are creating that they don’t even know about.
What advice would you give on being responsible for your own dreams?
I think every kid should dream. We’re a goal-oriented family. We all sit down at the beginning of the year, we write our goals down, individual goals, and we make a concerted effort as individuals to meet our goals
Finish the sentence: “Never give up on yourself because …
You are somebody.
Kyrie Irving is a free agent this summer with the ability to sign with any NBA team he desires.
