Hilton Head resident gets $40k surprise from NBA star Kyrie Irving to help with legal battle

Blake Douglas
·1 min read
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While a high-profile lawsuit involving a 93-year-old Hilton Head resident is awaiting a day in court, a superstar who knows something about a different type of court is helping out.

Josephine Wright got word Sunday that NBA Champion Kyrie Irving donated $40,000 to aid in her legal defense.

Wright and her family have made national and international headlines resulting from a lawsuit filed against them by Bailey Point Investment LLC. The company is constructing a 147-unit neighborhood enveloping Wright’s Jonesville road parcel, which has been in her family since shortly after the Civil War.

The Wright family suspects the lawsuit is intended to force them to sell due to financial strain, but a GoFundMe account has helped the family shoulder the burden of legal fees by raising $112,994. Irving’s $40,000 gift is the largest donation to the family thus far.

Josephine Wright starts to count her relatives, including her son, that are buried in Elliott Cemetery, a Gullah graveyard located behind the gates in Hilton Head Plantation on June 9, 2023 as Kelly LeBlanc looks over a list on Hilton Head Island. Wright is currently fighting to keep her land that family says has been in their name around the end of the Civil War.

Charise Graves, Josephine Wright’s granddaughter, said the family has tried to reach out to Irving to thank him. The Island Packet has also reached out, but received no response.

Such donations aren’t unusual for Irving. By December of last year, Irving had given almost $500,000 in total GoFundMe donations, a mark he’s now exceeded. Irving donates to causes ranging from helping Palestinian families rebuild their Gaza homes to funding a Howard University student’s education.

According to SBNation’s Nets Daily, Irving does not comment on his donations or publicize the gifts.