Although Kyrie Irving was not the first Blue Devil to go pro after his freshman year, he is sort of the Rubicon for Duke when it comes to players going pro early.
Since he left Duke, a lot of other guys have done so too: Austin Rivers, Jabari Parker, Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow, Jahlil Okafor, Brandon Ingram, Jayson Tatum, Harry Giles, Frank Jackson, Trevon Duval, Gary Trent, Wendell Carter, Marvin Bagley, Zion Williamson, Cam Reddish, RJ Barrett, Vernon Carey, Cassius Stanley, Jalen Johnson and DJ Steward have left after one year to play professionally. This year, Paolo Banchero, AJ Griffin and Trevor Keels are likely to follow them and that list doesn’t count guys who left after their sophomore season.