Kyrie Irving, 34-year-old point guard for Dallas Mavericks, has changed his Instagram profile image in solidarity with Palestinian people. He has chosen a picture that went viral this week, of a Palestinian boy reading a book from behind a wired fence, with three Israeli soldiers looking at him behind.
The photograph was captured by freelance photographer Andrey X, reporting that the Israeli army have used tear gas on children who were trying to go to school in Umm al-Kheir, in the West Bank, and wanted to cross a road that was blocked in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. The community faces imminent demolition from Israel soldiers, as they don't have building permits, which are rarely given to Palestinians in that area of the West Bank, as reported by Al Jazeera.
In protest, schoolchildren demonstrated up to the fence, singing defiant songs just metres away from the Israeli soldiers.
Irving, who doesn't play since last February, choosing to take time to heal from the ACL injury he suffered in March 2025, has over 20 million followers.
This is not the first time that Irving has voiced his support for Palestine. Last February, he attended the NBA All-Star Game wearing a shirt reading PRESS, to honour journalists covering the genocide in the Gaza strip, and has previously wore a chain with the Palestinian flag in the shape of Israel's land, and a keffiyeh, a traditional headdress worn by men in the Middle East.
