Michael Dwyer / Associated Press
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving spoke about his recent absence before his possible return to court on Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Irving told reporters that he had “a lots of family and personal things going on “and wanted” leave it like this “:
“I’m back, I’m happy to be back, we have some great pieces and we move on and let my actions and my game speak for itself, as I planned to do,” the six-time All-Star said. “I just needed a break. “
Irving has lost Brooklyn’s last seven games.
The team initially cited personal reasons for his absence in the 122-109 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on January 7. Five days later, ESPN Malika Andrews and Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the NBA was watching a video that allegedly showed Irving at a family event without a face mask.
The league announced last Friday, he charged the veteran shipowner $ 50,000 for violating health and safety protocols. When asked about the punishment, Irving avoided the question.
During his call to the media, the 28-year-old emphasized how his concerns extended far beyond his basketball career and broader social issues:
Videos Nets @SNYNets
Kyrie Irving says that basketball and life have been ‘very balanced’: “There is a deeper level of emotions that I have for helping people and serving. There is nothing normal in life that I live. Let me use that as a tool to change the things I want to see in the world “https://t.co/ULpKeWgmbd
While the NBA was looking to resume the 2019-20 season at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, Irving was one of the most prominent dissident voices. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that he said he did not “support going to Orlando” was “not with systematic racism and bulls – t “during a call with the players.
“Something smells a little like fish,” he said, for Charania. “Whether we want to admit it or not, we are considered black every day that we wake up.”
Last July, Irving promised $ 1.5 million through the KAI Empowerment Initiative for WNBA players who were opting out of the league’s 2020 season at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Former NBA star Stephen Jackson said Irving helped buy a house for the family of George Floyd, who died shortly after ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for almost eight minutes in May.