Kyrie Irving is among 18 NBA players born on March 23.
With over 5,000 players in NBA history, at least one player was born on every day of the calendar year – including three leap day ballers. Our day-by-day breakdown of the players born on each day of the year continues.
Below are the most notable NBA players born on March 23.
Kyrie Irving (1992)
Kyrie Irving is widely regarded as one of the best ball-handlers of all time, but that doesn’t do this All-Star justice. Irving was the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers after a short collegiate career at Duke University. He immediately lived up to the billing, taking down Rookie of the Year in that debut campaign. Irving followed that up with his first of nine All-Star appearances in his sophomore season and took down All-Star MVP in 2014. His biggest accomplishment was in 2016 when Irving helped LeBron James win a title for Cleveland.
Irving left to play with the Boston Celtics a year later and has spent time with the Brooklyn Nets and Dallas Mavericks since then. Irving has made three All-NBA teams throughout his 14-year career, averaging 23.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
Moses Malone (1955)
Nicknamed the “Chairman of the Boards” for his rebounding prowess, Malone averaged 20.6 points and 12.2 rebound per game over 19 NBA seasons. It all started when he joined the ABA in 1974, but he didn’t fully harness his powers until he joined the NBA two years later.
Malone won Kia MVP three times over the next decade (1978, 1982, 1983) and led the league in rebounding six times in a seven-year span. Most of that damage was done when he played for the Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers, but he also spent time with the Washington Bullets, Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks and San Antonio Spurs.
Malone made 13 All-Star appearances in total and won Finals MVP when he helped the Sixers win a title in 1983. He closed his 21-year career in 1995, averaging 20.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. Moses ranks 11th all-time in points scored and is third all-time with over 17,000 rebounds, which earned him a Hall of Fame induction in 2001.
Jason Kidd (1973)
There aren’t many dates that have three superstars with the same birthday, but that’s what we have on March 23. Kidd caps off the highlight players, establishing himself as one of the best point guards in NBA history. Kidd was selected second overall in the 1994 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks, winning Rookie of the Year that season. He followed that up with his first of 10 All-Star appearances the next year before joining the Phoenix Suns in his third year. That’s when Kidd became a superstar, leading the league in assists in three of his five seasons with the Suns.
A trade to the New Jersey Nets didn’t slow Kidd down, making three more All-Star appearances and leading the league in assists twice more. He closed his career by rejoining the Mavs for five seasons before retiring with the New York Knicks in 2013. Kidd received MVP votes eight times throughout his career while making six All-NBA teams as well. Kidd also made nine All-Defensive teams and won a title with the Mavericks in 2011. That earned Kidd a Hall of Fame induction in 2018, ranking third in NBA history in assists and steals. Throughout his 19-year career, Kidd averaged 12.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 8.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game.
Want to see every NBA player born on March 23? Here is the rest of the list in chronological order:
- Mickey Rottner (1919)
- Norm Mager (1926)
- Paul Walther (1927)
- Mel Peterson (1938)
- Rick Kelley (1953)
- Jeff Judkins (1956)
- Charles Pittman (1958)
- Michael Anderson (1966)
- David Vaughn (1973)
- Eric Washington (1974)
- Joseph Forte (1981)
- Gordon Hayward (1990)
- Facundo Campazzo (1991)
- Quinn Cook (1993)
- Trevor Hudgins (1999)
