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Kyrie Irving is 'The Ankletaker,' according to his great new t-shirt

Cleveland Cavaliers star Kyrie Irving reached a new level of fame and celebration after his terrific performance against the Golden State Warriors in last June’s NBA Finals. A player once known as a super talented youngster perhaps not ready to assume the burden associated with title contention answered his critics and bettered Stephen Curry, the league’s first unanimous MVP. It’s fair to say that Irving enters this season having risen in many analysts’ estimations and without many doubters.

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That new status has apparently afforded Irving the opportunity to talk up his own abilities more than he ever has before. Kyrie donned a t-shirt Thursday that featured his image in place of WWE superstar The Undertaker with a new name — The Ankletaker. Take a look:

And here’s a grainy look at the shirt from Kyrie’s social media (via SB Nation):

Kyrie Irving is here for your ankles (via @SBNation).
Kyrie Irving is here for your ankles (via @SBNation).

Let’s be blunt — this is an amazing t-shirt. I don’t know if Irving hired a professional illustrator to make up this image or simply used something from a particularly talented fan, but it’s terrific nonetheless. It wouldn’t be terribly surprising to see the Cavs start selling something similar if they can get the legal rights worked out.

Some of you may remember that LeBron James wore an Ultimate Warrior t-shirt shortly after the Cavaliers defeated the Warriors in Game 7 — not as a dig, he swears. Perhaps each member of the Cavs will eventually get their own wrestling alter ego.

Why, just imagine what J.R. Smith could end up as. He’d be a great Doink the Clown.

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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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