Kyrie Irving has been fined by the NBA for his behavior in game one of the Brooklyn Nets’ playoff series verses the Boston Celtics.
Byron Spruell, the president of NBA league operations, released a statement Tuesday announcing a $50,000 fine towards Irving for “making obscene gestures on the playing court and directing profane language toward the spectator stands.” ESPN senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski also announced the fine via Twitter.
The NBA has fined Kyrie Irving $50,000.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 19, 2022
Irving was caught on camera several times during Sunday’s 115-114 buzzer-beating loss, flipping off the Boston fans and mimicking them, according to Sports Illustrated. He even went as far as telling a fan to “suck my d*ck” after the person heckled him on the way to the locker room after the game.
Boston Celtics verses the Brooklyn Nets could be one of the best rivalries going on right now in all of professional sports. (RELATED: The NFL Is Investigating The Cleveland Browns After Hue Jackson Implied He Was Offered Money To Lose)
In the post-game press conference Sunday, Kyrie Irving explained his approach to dealing with the heckling Boston crowd, saying, “Look, I mean, I’m just— where I’m from, you know, I’m used to all these antics and people being close nearby. You know, it’s nothing new when I come into this building, what it’s going to be like. But it’s the same energy they have for me. And I’m going to have the same energy for them,” according to Yahoo Sports. He went on to say that he didn’t “want to attack every fan, every Boston fan” and later equated the energy from the crowd to the “dark side,” the outlet reported.
In the playoffs in 2021, the Nets played the injured Celtics and, after a game four victory over Boston, Irving stomped on the famous Celtics logo at center court, as seen in video posted by ESPN.
Kyrie appeared to step on the Boston logo as he greeted his teammates at half court postgame.
(via @yornoc74) pic.twitter.com/thcXjX15He
— ESPN (@espn) May 31, 2021
It has certainly been an ugly divorce between Irving and Boston, but it makes for some seriously entertaining playoff basketball.