One of the most memorable moments in basketball history was Kyrie Irving’s game-winning jumper in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals.

 

The 25-foot jumper, which went over Stephen Curry’s extended arm, was the game-winning shot that finally ended an unlikely comeback against a historically dominant opponent and gave Cleveland its first championship since 1964:

Irving claims that this shot, which has the potential to alter the course of a player’s career forever, has already done just that. After that historic night, Irving reflected on the changes during a recent media availability prior to a Team USA practice.

“It’s definitely gotten crazier, to say the least,” Irving said. “I don’t want to say I’m so used to flying under the radar, but a lot of things I was able to do, I can’t do anymore. And it sucks. But it comes with the territory. I know that they’re all just genuine fans. They’re fans of the game of basketball. They don’t necessarily have to be fans of me or the Cleveland Cavaliers, but they’re fans of basketball. The sport can connect people beyond all limitations in this world. It has a way of bringing people together, that’s just the beauty of the game that I enjoy.”

If you or I had hit that shot, we’d probably still be watching it on repeat, right? Not the case for Kyrie. “I literally just watch the celebration afterwards,” he said. “Because it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life. We were playing against the world champs; they didn’t make it easy for us. And we didn’t make it easy for ourselves. This is what my dad prepared me for. Going through the ups and downs of life, dealing with things that happened, coming, going. It’s just part of life.”