NBA superstar Kyrie Irving reportedly stiffs therapist for $400,000 after family retreat tragedy

A celebrity therapist employed by Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving to facilitate wellness workshops at a family retreat he hosted, the eight-time NBA All-Star now claims he refused to pay for her services — which included additional counseling after a participant died unexpectedly during the event.

Social worker Natasha McCartney provided, among other things, guided meditation sessions, ionic foot baths and “intuitive life readings” for Irving and his relatives at a five-day gathering in North Dakota last summer, according to a lawsuit filed in New York State Supreme Court and obtained by The independent. When she was forced to quickly turn to crisis intervention and grief counseling, McCartney’s suit says she went beyond acting as a liaison between police and family, making arrangements with the coroner and “promptly facilitating the removal of Kyrie off stage to avoid media exposure.”

But about five months later, Irving, who earns a salary of $40 million for the 2024-2025 season, continues to withhold the nearly $400,000 he owes McCartney, the lawsuit alleges. It accuses Irving of breach of contract, unjust enrichment and fraud and demands full payment plus interest, costs and attorneys’ fees.

Irving’s attorney, Steven Olenick, did not respond to a request for comment Monday. This was told by lawyer Michael Faragalla, who represents McCartney The independent that Irving has shown little interest in mending fences with his therapist for nearly half a decade.

“After having direct contact with Kyrie Irving and his staff, Mr. Irving deferred it all to his support role,” Faragalla said Monday afternoon. “He even failed to pick up the phone and call Natasha McCartney, so he didn’t do anything to resolve (the situation) before the actual filing (of the lawsuit). Of course he had a lawyer retained and of course his manager and his agent got involved and came with several insulting offers, but Kyrie Irving himself never personally tried to make amends.

Faragalla’s co-counsel at the law firm Spiegel & Utrera PA, Alejandro Echeverria, said they do “a detailed exploration with our clients before any potential litigation,” and we would not have taken this case unless we felt strongly that our client’s rights had been violated. This is a very simple case of someone who performed professional services, with a clear understanding of what those services were, and who really has not been treated fairly.”

McCartney, which is based in New York“recognizes the unique challenges celebrities face that few fully understand,” her website tells potential clients. “Initially, the careers of professional athletes, musicians, actors and public figures require exceptional dedication, necessitating rigorous preparation and sustained peak performance that can tax even the most accomplished individuals.”

Irving, a vocal anti-vaxxer who has shared anti-Semitic conspiracy theories online and publicly stated that he believed the earth might be flat, played for the Brooklyn Nets for four seasons before being traded to Dallas last year. He was selected first overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, helped lead the team to a championship in 2016, and is widely considered to be a future Hall of Famer. McCartney’s lawsuit says she has had a long-standing professional relationship with the 32-year-old Irving, having worked with him and his family since 2020. So, according to the suit, when Irving asked if McCartney would be willing to do a series of workshops for him and a group of relatives and friends on a retreat in North Dakota from June 28 to July 2, she did not hesitate.

Irving first told McCartney there would be 50 to 60 guests at the retreat, then increased the number of employees to 115, the lawsuit states. But when McCartney arrived, she found that there were actually 150 attendees at the venue.

“Despite the unexpected increase in attendees, (McCartney) reorganized (her) entire 5-day program to accommodate the unexpected guests,” the suit continues.

McCartney charged more than $100,000 for preparing, researching and designing customized meditation sessions, designing special workbooks and putting together a planned “masterclass” over 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 minutes mindfulness gatherings every morning, charged $5,500 each, held a two-hour nonviolent communication session, charged $25,000, organized three days 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 for “visual identity development,” $4,000 for on-site photography and videography, a $6,000 charge for “gift bag idea,” and $11,880 for “event amplification (collecting emails and phone numbers).” In total, McCartney billed Irving $386,660, minus a “Kyrie Irving discount” of $236,660, for a total of $150,000, the invoice shows.

On June 30, “the program and the retreat came to a halt due to the tragic death of a participant during the event,” McCartney’s lawsuit states, adding that she “adapted and provided additional crisis intervention services to ensure the retreat continued smoothly.”

A separate invoice shows that Irving’s stepmother, Shetellia Riley-Irving, approved McCartney’s proposal for “crisis management and bereavement services”, consisting of “on-site therapy sessions for a family in crisis”, “on-site grief therapy for all participants” and a couple. of “critical stress investigations.”

McCartney “retained the security services of (her) husband… a retired NYPD Internal Affairs Detective 1st Grade from the Internal Affairs Division, to manage the situation and coordinate intervention with state officers,” the lawsuit continues.

She also “acted as a liaison between the family and North Dakota officers to secure the deceased family member’s crime scene,” the lawsuit continues. “She provided essential information to ensure guests were not questioned by (police), promptly facilitated the removal of Kyrie from the scene to avoid media exposure, and assisted the coroner with preparations for family viewing and transport.”

Those additional services came to $140,000, for a total of $390,710, according to the suit, which does not provide additional details about the person who died or how they were related to Irving.

When he returned home from the retreat, Irving “refused to honor (his) agreement” with McCartney, the lawsuit states.

“Despite multiple demands and amicable attempts to resolve the matter, (Irving) has failed to make full payment on these invoices,” it alleges.

Although Irving “has … paid (McCartney) every single time they have worked together in the past,” and told McCartney he would “take care of all costs associated” with the family retreat, McCartney’s suit says she “has lost confidence” in Irving, necessitates legal action.

Irving now has about three weeks to file a formal response to McCartney’s claims.