The initial message was received last Monday in the form of a 1-minute, 39-second video, when the team was busing from Lapwai to Caldwell. Since then, Irving has liked, shared and commented on the team’s social media posts, and he and the team have continued their correspondence.

The Wildcats cited the interactions as extra inspiration after defeating Riverstone 82-60 on Friday in the Class 1A Division I title game.

“It’s amazing. That’s the highlight of the year, besides this,” junior Kross Taylor said as he cradled Lapwai’s championship trophy.

Irving has formed a close bond with Brooklyn Baptiste, who coaches the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams at Lapwai Middle School and is related to Wildcats varsity assistant coach John Williamson. Baptiste helped guide Irving’s quest to reconnect with his Native American lineage — Irving’s mother was born into the Standing Rock Sioux tribe of North Dakota, but died when he was 4 years old, and the basketball star has sought to learn more about her and Native American culture in recent years. He was given the Lakota name Little Mountain by the Standing Rock tribe during a naming ceremony in 2018.

Irving has publicly honored his heritage in multiple ways. He’s burned sage inside arenas before games — an act called smudging — and has worn a National Congress of American Indians hat during interviews.

He’s also been seen sporting Nez Perce tribe face masks. That caught some eyes around Lapwai. The masks can only be attained through the tribe.

“I sent him a care package about a month ago. I just was trying to help him, let him know that we supported him and that I supported him,” Baptiste said. “And of course we have masks here that are made by the tribe, so I sent him those masks and he was wearing them.”

Before the team left for State, Baptiste asked Irving if he’d send along some well-wishes. Irving obliged, and the aforementioned video has gained traction on social media and has been picked up by several television stations and news outlets.

 

“You guys are an inspiration,” Irving said in the video. “I want you guys to continue on this journey that you are currently on, that you have been humbly asked to perform.”

 

The interactions with Irving were an added reward for Lapwai’s success but, moreover, said Baptiste and Wildcats head coach Zachary Eastman, served as examples for youth in Lapwai and elsewhere. Irving is a national celebrity, with millions of fans and admirers. In the tight-knit, basketball-crazed Lapwai community, varsity basketball players — especially those who achieve state championships — are the stars.

“Little kids in Lapwai, they look up to Kyrie Irving, but also, they look up to my boys,” Eastman said. “They say, ‘One day I want to be on that court, I want to be shouted out by Kyrie Irving.’

“It just really shows the kind of person he is. He has his own games, his own stuff going on in his own life, and he has the time in the day to let our boys know (he’s watching),” Eastman continued. “That lets them know that’s what you guys should be doing, you guys should be reaching out to little kids, you guys should be reaching out to people, because basketball is more than just a game, it’s a way to bring people together, it’s a way to learn from each other. It just gives a lot of life experiences.”

Wildcats junior Titus Yearout said Irving and the team hope to meet in-person one day, “when the time is right.” He and his teammates made a video thanking Irving after their first-round win, showing off a No. 2 Irving Cleveland Cavaliers jersey and a pair of Irving’s signature Nike basketball shoes. They sent him another video Friday after claiming the title.

“This is a message to Kyrie Irving. This is the Lapwai Wildcats, your 2021 state champs,” Eastman said in the video. “I appreciate all your words. Here we are, man, you helped us through this, you gave us those words of encouragement, and my boys answered. State champs, baby.”

Lapwai likely would have won the state title without Irving’s encouragement — the Wildcats were dominant all season long and owned the highest-scoring offense in any of Idaho’s six classifications.

But having him on their side didn’t hurt.

“I think it helped us. It boosted our confidence,” sophomore Terrell Ellenwood-Jones said. “… We had a lot of eyes on us. We just had to show out for him.”

Below is the complete transcript of the video Irving sent to Lapwai’s basketball team

 

“Peace and love, peace and love, and I am thankful and grateful to be making this video for my brothers, for my relatives, for my family. Nimiipuu, Lapwai, you guys are an inspiration. I want you guys to continue on this journey that you are currently on, that you have been humbly asked to perform and do. We are always in Wakan Tanka service and we are always doing the work for our ancestors, and if that means being able to persevere, to show humility for our opponents, if that means being able to fight, to go out and do, to act, to perform, all knowing that the talent comes from up here, from what has been given to us.

 

“And this is an opportunity for you all to show the support for one another and what it means to truly be a native, what it means to be one with everything around you, what it means to go after something bigger than yourself, for a purpose.

“So I want you guys to hold that true to your hearts, and I am supporting you, all of the nations around you are supporting you, and we all want to see you do well. So to Nimiipuu, to Lapwai, all of you guys everywhere, let’s go get this. Go get one.”

Guernsey may be contacted at mguernsey@lmtribune.com, (208) 848-2268 or on Twtter @MD_Guernsey.