Kyrie Irving on Kai Cenat Twitch stream Credit: Kai Cenat on Twitch
NBATwitchBy Brendon Kleen on

The biggest story on the internet this month is the “subathon” hosted by Twitch streamer Kai Cenat, in which he reclaimed the top spot on the platform and became the first Twitch star to reach a half-million subscriptions. The “subathon” crossed over into the sports world on Thanksgiving Day when Cenat brought Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving onto the stream for life lessons, basketball training, and even some dancing.

Older sports fans may know Cenat for participating in the 2024 NBA All-Star celebrity game or for his Little Basketball Association stunt over the summer. Cenat bridges music, sports and entertainment in addition to being the biggest content creator on Twitch. Throughout his November “Mafiathon 2” subathon, stars like Kevin Hart, SZA and even Serena Williams have joined Cenat in his home on-stream.

But on Thanksgiving with Irving back in Los Angeles for the holiday break, the two Kais (Cenat and Irving) came together for a fascinating night of content.

Almost right away, one of the kids in Cenat’s crew (Ray H) broached Irving’s infamous 2017 flat-Earth controversy with the All-Star guard. He was ready.

“At the end of the day, it’s not about whether or not it’s flat, it’s question what’s going on around you,” Irving told the crew. “Me standing in the fire at times for my generation and doing things that look a little abstract and different, I’m going to do that.”

The rest of the night stayed away from Irving’s past run-ins with NBA decision-makers and media. Instead, it was a pretty touching connection across generations. Irving clearly took the opportunity seriously not only to share an evening with Cenat’s crew of young creators, but also the hundreds of thousands of Cenat’s fans who tuned in on Twitch.

At one point at a mock-Thanksgiving table, Irving opened up about his relationship with the late Kobe Bryant. Irving shared that Bryant encouraged him to turn inward and humble himself after winning an NBA championship in 2016.

“To lose somebody like that was one of the hardest things to deal with, to grieve,” Irving said.

Later in the night speaking just with Cenat, the Uncle Drew star showed off some acting chops as well.

Cenat and his Twitch chat convinced Irving to play out a scene of what it would look like to get traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, and Irving turned in a pretty impressive performance.

To top it off, Cenat played intense orchestral music over the top of Irving’s fake conversation with Dallas execs.

Cenat switched to a different song to close out Irving’s appearance and asked the eight-time NBA All-Star, who also streams on Twitch, to deliver a motivational speech for the audience.

“To all the kids out there, I salute you,” Irving said. “Listen to your parents as much as you can, go way beyond their dreams, and accomplish your own.”

In the middle of it all, Irving danced with Cenat and crew member Tylil. He showed the crew some basketball skills on Cenat’s backyard half-court. And he shared a touching moment with Cenat’s mother.

Whether with his incredible highlights, popular Nike sneaker, or his own online presence, Irving has long been popular with younger NBA fans. While in Brooklyn, Irving saw the Nike deal and his standing in the league take a hit when he tweeted a link to an antisemitic documentary film. But he has avoided controversy since arriving in Dallas in February 2023, and helped lead the Mavs to the NBA Finals this past season.

Clearly, Irving cares about connecting with his young fans. And there’s no better place to do that right now than on Cenat’s massively popular daily Twitch broadcast.

[Kai Cenat Live on YouTube]

About Brendon Kleen

Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.

View all posts by Brendon Kleen