Nets protection Kyrie Irving was fined $50K by the NBA, the league announced Tuesday in a Press Release.
According to the statement, Irving was fined for “making obscene gestures on the field and directing obscene language towards the stands.” The incident occurred during Game 1 of the Nets’ first series against the Celtics, when Irving met some fans in Boston.
Irving, who played for the Celtics from 2017-19 before departing for Brooklyn in free agency, spoke to reporters after Sunday’s game about his interactions with loyalists in Boston, like ESPN’s Nick Friedell relay.
“Look, where I’m from, I’m used to these antics and the people around,” Irving said. “There’s nothing new when I walk into this building, how things will be – but that’s the energy they have for me, I’ll have the same energy for them.
“And it’s not every fan, I don’t want to attack every fan, every Boston fan. When people start shouting ‘p — y’ or ‘b—-‘ and ‘f— you’ and all this, only but a lot of you see it as a competitor. We are expected to be docile and humble, let’s take a humble approach, because it’s a knockout. This is what it is. ”
Irving previously likened Celtics fans to a “contemptuous girlfriend“After a game in March in Boston.
While $50K is a drop for a top-paid player like Irving, it’s worth noting that $50K is the largest amount the NBA can penalize a player without opening the door to competitive players. appeal the decision and submit the matter to an appeal arbitrator.
