The Brooklyn Nets were without shipowner Kyrie Irving on Thursday night, and his absence will be prolonged. Irving was left out of the Nets’ victory over the Philadelphia 76ers for personal reasons and will not be joining the team on his flight to Memphis, a team spokesman said. The Nets play against the Grizzlies on Friday night.
Before the game against Sixers, Nets coach Steve Nash said he did not know why Irving was out. Nash said he reached out to Irving, but got no response, and reiterated after the game that it was a private matter. Caris LeVert added that Irving sent a text message to the team to inform them of his decision and said it was a personal problem, but did not reveal any additional information.
At this point, Irving’s justification for staying out remains unknown, and it would not be wise to speculate any more. If Irving wants to share his reasoning, he will. After a short trip to Memphis, the Nets will return to Brooklyn for home games against Thunder on Sunday and the Nuggets on Tuesday. It is unclear when he will return to the roster.
The Nets are also without their other star, Kevin Durant, after he was exposed to COVID-19 and quarantined for seven days. Durant, who already had COVID-19 last year, tested negative throughout the process. If that trend continues, Nash expects him to be released and back on the court on Sunday.
When he was on the court this season, Irving was fantastic, averaging 27.1 points, 6.1 assists and 5.3 rebounds, while making an initial effort for the club 50/40/90. He is shooting 50.4 percent of the field, 42.6 percent of the 3-point field and 100 percent of the free-throw line.