Kyrie Irving is the subject of one of the more bizarre lawsuits the sports world has seen in recent years.
The Dallas Mavericks guard was sued in New York state court by a health and wellness company called Elite Mind Solutions, run by a person named Natasha McCartney, for allegedly declining to pay a $390,710 bill from a family retreat this summer.
The lawsuit claims Irving hired Elite Mind Solutions around April for a five-day retreat between June 28 and July 4 to provide "therapy workshops" and "comprehensive health and wellness services" for 50-60 people at the Irving Family Retreat. That promised headcount allegedly ballooned to 115 on June 19, then to approximately 150 when the date arrived.
On its website, Elite Mind Solutions says it is "the only sport psychology consultancy that harnesses emotional intelligence as a catalyst for peak performance, providing structured, evidence-based support that empowers athletes—from ambitious amateurs to Olympic contenders—to manage pressure, refocus, and excel under any condition."
Per the Independent, these services were ... expensive:
McCartney charged more than $100,000 for preparation, researching and designing custom meditation sessions, designing special workbooks, and putting together a planned "masterclass" over the course of 22 days, according to an invoice filed in court as an exhibit. At the retreat itself, the invoice says McCartney led members of the Irving family through 30-minute mindfulness gatherings each morning, charging $5,500 for each, held a two-hour non-violent communication session, charging $25,000, organized three days worth of "intuitive life readings," for which she charged $9,000, and hired an "ionic foot detox" provider for $7,200.
It says McCartney also worked with a branding agency to create "additional branding services" for the retreat, at a cost of $100,710. Related line items included $5,000 worth of "visual identity development," $4,000 for onsite photography and video footage, a $6,000 charge for "gift bag ideation," and $11,880 for "event amplification (collecting emails & phone numbers)." In all, McCartney billed Irving $386,660, minus a "Kyrie Irving discount" of $236,660, for a total of $150,000, the invoice shows.
McCartney, who has reportedly worked with Irving since 2020, claimed to have reorganized her program to accommodate the extra guests, but it ended prematurely "due to the tragic death of a participant during the event." The plaintiff said she also retained the security services of her husband Shawn McCartney, a retired NYPD internal affairs detective to manage the crisis intervention.
Three invoices were reportedly submitted for the event, with two totaling $290,000 for McCartney's services in June and July and another for $100,710 for services performed by a company called Luxe Dreams Branding Agency in connection to the retreat.
After the retreat, Elite Mind Solutions alleges Irving's camp refused to honor their agreement and that they have lost confidence he will pay. They are now accusing Irving of breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and fraud, and seeking payment of the nearly $400K, plus interest, costs, and attorneys’ fees.
McCartney's lawyer's comment, via the Independent:
"After making direct contact with Kyrie Irving and his associates, Mr. Irving put it all off on his supporting cast," Faragalla said on Monday afternoon. "He even failed to pick up the phone and call Natasha McCartney, so he didn't make any effort to resolve [the situation] prior to the actual filing [of the lawsuit]. Of course, he had an attorney retained, and of course, his manager and his agent got involved and made several insulting offers, but Kyrie Irving himself never personally tried to make amends."
Irving is currently in the second year of a three-year, $126 million contract he signed with the Mavericks last year.
