Max Irving is a three-time NCAA Champion with the UCLA men's water polo team and is one of 19 players attempting to make the roster for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics which will now be held in 2021. Irving grew up in Long Beach, CA, which is known as a hotbed of water polo talent having produced Olympians such as Tony Azevedo, Chi Kredell, Robert Lynn, Adam Wright, and many more. Irving began his water polo career at Shore Aquatics where all those past Olympians played. First though, he began swimming at Seal Beach Swim Club when he was 7 years old after his mom, who swam herself, introduced him to the sport. At the age of 10 he tried water polo and was hooked. 
 
"I fell in love with the game and found out that I had a little bit of a natural ability and instinct and inclination for it," he says. "So I had a lot of fun and kind of stuck with it from then on."
 
Growing up as an African American in a white-dominated sport, Irving never felt uncomfortable: "I'm one of the few African Americans playing this sport, and that's something I take pride in, and I'm honored to represent a community. I know there are other notable African American players such as Women's National Team goalie Ashleigh Johnson and BJ Churnside who played at SOCAL and Stanford, but yeah, I definitely took pride in it, and I still take pride in it, and I'm honored to represent the African American community."
 
Irving played with Shore Aquatics starting with the 10 and Under group and continued to 18 and Unders with his brother Quincy right alongside him. Irving credits his success—and that of his teammates—to Long Beach's great aquatic tradition and all of the great coaches he played under who were either past Olympians or top collegiate stars. 
 
 "We would always do well," Irving says regarding his time with Shore. "We had a good group of core guys who went on to play at Division 1, 2, and 3 levels. We had Garrett Barth as one of my 10 and Under coaches, Clint Wilson who was at Long Beach State as my 12 and Under coach, and Scott Swanson who played at UCLA. We also had Chi Kredell who was an Olympian and another one of my coaches and Robert Lynn who was an Olympian and assistant coach with the men's team." 
 
What did he learned the most from his time with Shore Aquatics? "I loved going to training every day because of all the coaches I mentioned. I got to become better at the game. I really loved the game, and the game really embraced me. Also, the connections I've gained through the game are lifelong, and that's why I would encourage everyone to play the game of water polo. I've had opportunities that I could never have imagined."
 
Irving also would play water polo for Long Beach Wilson High School where he was just one of just two freshmen who played on the junior varsity team their first year. And he says his time at Wilson helped shape him into the player he is today.
 
"You walk into the pool every day and see like 12 CIF Championships hanging on the board. You see all the records and the countless Olympians on the board from Tony Azevedo to Adam Wright and swimmers like Tim Shaw to guys who went on to play NCAA water polo like Scott Swanson, Matt Sagehorn, Thomas Hale, Clint Wilson—plenty of guys," he recalls. "And that's why I got really entrenched in Long Beach's deep and rich aquatic tradition, and that really motivated me to be on their level. I always had someone or something to look up to. So I wanted to be the best player I could be and hopefully one day win a CIF Championship, which I was able to accomplish." 
 
Winning that CIF Championship was the top moment from his time at Wilson: "The overall joy was playing in that game and ultimately winning that game. I remember that it was so much fun playing in it because our fans and a great portion of the student body watched it. We had a ton of fans, and it was a really rowdy crowd."
 
While playing in high school Irving always knew he wanted to play collegiately, and he wound up choosing UCLA after going on a recruiting trip. "After seeing the players and how connected the team was, I couldn't really envision going somewhere else. It was a big family, and that's something that I really liked. Plus, UCLA is an awesome academic school besides being great at water polo." 
 
While at UCLA Irving won NCAA titles in 2014, 2015, and 2017. The last one was the most special he and his teammates took down favored crosstown rival USC—and at USC. "We lost like six seniors, and no one really thought we had the firepower or experience to win. No one really thought we would be able to do it, but the group of guys we had training in the water every day knew what we were capable of, so when the time came to play in that big game, we were all ready. We stepped up, played well, and won."
 
Irving's National Team career didn't get off to the fastest start as he participated in the Olympic Development Program but wound up getting cut from the Coastal team his first year. However, after going back to his club and training even harder, he made his first pipeline team and was selected to go to the UANA Junior Championships. "Dusty Litvak was our coach, and we ended up taking Silver, and it was a great experience," he recalls. "It really opened up the door for international water polo and how much fun that can be and how awesome it is to represent your country. It was really cool to be part of a team made up of the best players from one age group and seeing the level I need to maintain to compete at a high level and continue to make those teams." 
 
Following that tournament Irving was selected to play at the FINA Youth World Championships but eventually ended up slipping off the National Team radar until his great performances at UCLA earned him a call-up to the senior team for the 2017 FINA Intercontinental Tournament. "I was honored," he says, regarding the call up. "I took it very seriously. I knew I was given an opportunity, and it could be my only opportunity, so I did everything in my power to help our team win, have fun, play with confidence, and continue to try to make the teams."
 
Following his performance at that tournament he was called up for his first major FINA event— the 2017 FINA World League Super Final— and then the FINA World Championships. "What I took away most was the level of intensity and seriousness that everyone played with," he says recalling what he learned from those tournaments. "Everyone's out there playing to kill, willing to do anything in their power to give themselves an advantage—and it had a lasting impression on me."
 
After college Irving was unsure about his water polo plans. He first signed up to be the volunteer assistant coach for the UCLA Women's Water Polo team. So, Irving did that for a few weeks, but then his National teammate Chancellor Ramirez approached him about playing abroad since one of his club's foreign players wasn't coming back. Irving remembers: "I was, like, I'll for sure consider it, but I didn't really know if anything would come of it, and then as I continued to think about it and talk it over with my family and UCLA head coach Adam Wright, it seemed this would be the best opportunity to be able to continue to grow and develop." 
 
Irving went on to play for CN Posillipo in Italy with Ramirez before moving on to Hydraikos in Greece where he now competes. Last year Hydraikos finished in 6^thplace in the Greek Championship, and this year they currently sit in third. "The club was satisfied with me, so they asked me to return, and I decided to come back this year," he says. "Alex Obert, my National teammate, came with me, so that really helped us out a lot. We've gained a lot of experience from playing over there, and we're doing really well right now. My biggest takeaway would be the amount of games and game exposure. It's great to have pretty high-level games every week, so you're playing very consistently—and the more you play, and the more you train at a high level, the more you're going to continue to grow. That's why I think I've really grown a lot within these past two years." 
 
When he isn't playing for his club overseas, Irving is playing with the U.S. National Team. To start the year the team traveled to Greece, Italy, and Australia for training trips that included games against Greece, Hungary, Australia and Italy. "In Greece we scrimmaged a lot, pretty much every day, which was  a great experience—especially playing a good Greek National Team," he adds. "We got to scrimmage them at least once a day for seven days straight and afterward played one game. So, one takeaway was counter defense. That's something we wanted to focus on and continue to focus on. It's just good to be able to play against these European teams—same with the Serbia series last year. Then when we have a high-level game in the Olympics or the FINA World Championships, it will feel just like one of the many club games we played. So, having that exposure to these players and the speed of the game, exposure to what happens during the game, and just being more familiar with everything is beneficial." 
 
Next up the National Team traveled to Australia for a three-game series. "We lost our first game, I think by one goal, and won our second game by one or two  goals, but then the third game got away from us," Irving says. "We gave them some things we don't usually give up. They had a few center goals and shots from the perimeter that we'd like to have taken away, but all in all I think it was a great experience for our team—and there are some newer guys with us now who have great game experience."
 
Currently the National Team isn't training due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But Irving can't wait to get back to training: "I'm excited to start passing to the post and doing 6-on-5s. So excited to get back in the water and work with my teammates on getting the ball into the zone and our zone attack. Also entering the ball to our center and always working on connections, timing, understanding with my teammates, and understanding the system and everything we're doing so that when it's time to play we can just go out there and do our best."
 
And now that the Olympics have been delayed a year, Team USA is waiting for their schedule leading up to the competition. Irving also is focused on his goals while he waits for play to resume.
 
""Try to commit to water polo, to give water polo my full attention and all my effort right now," he says. "Being an athlete, you have a very small window of playing the sport you love—and especially to play it at this high level—so I'm going to do everything in my power to be the best water polo player I can be. That's my goal for this year: To give all my energy and effort to water polo."
 
Lastly, Irving has several pieces of advice for athletes aspiring to make the National Team: "I would say to try to listen to your coaches and watch water polo , such as all the games from the LEN Champions League. Also you should be watching the National Team's exhibition series, as well as international competitions such as all the FINA events: World League Super Finals, World Cup, and World Championships. Take away as many small things as you can when you watch these games. Also try to work on the fundamentals: swimming with your head up, changing direction quickly, being stable on your legs, having the ball in a position where you can always pass it and always shoot. Just work on those foundations and fundamentals because then, no matter where you go—high school, college, club—you'll be able to be successful, and you'll be able to build upon that foundation of strong fundamentals."