Getty Kyrie Irving and Dennis Schroder exchange words during the Nets loss to the Lakers on April 10.
The NBA regular season may have ended for the Brooklyn Nets but as the modus operandi has been for this team all season, the drama continues. This time the participating party is Los Angeles Lakers point guard, Dennis Schroder.
The Lakers and the Nets are heavily favored to meet in this summer’s NBA Finals. Naturally, the regular-season matchup between the two star-studded squads was one of the most anticipated games of the year. In their second matchup of the season, things got chippy between Schroder and Nets’ point guard Kyrie Irving as they got nose to nose in the second quarter.
Schroder called Kyrie the “N-Word” which caused him to go on a tirade that would eventually lead to both of their ejections. In a recent interview, Schroder addressed the confrontation.
Kyrie Irving and Dennis Schröder both got ejected for the first time in their careers 😳
(via @espn)
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Dennis Schroder Says He’s Done Wearing Kyrie’s Sneakers
Schroder is not locked into any kind of sneaker deal so the Lakers guard is pretty versatile with the types of sneakers he can wear on the court. Before this season, Schroder could often be seen sporting Kyrie’s signature Nike shoe as it is one of the most popular sneakers out today. However, after the confrontation, Schroder says that his days of wearing Kyrie’s sneakers are over.
In an airing of “My Shoe Collection” on his YouTube channel, Schroder said (in German), “Unfortunately, l can’t wear them no more. It’s not possible after what happened in the game. I cannot do it. Not going to wear it again. We will do giveaways for everybody who wants them.”
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Kyrie Wants the ‘N-Word’ Banished
To some Kyrie’s reaction to Schroder calling him the “N-word” was blown slightly out of proportion, especially with both players being of African descent. Kyrie does not see it that way. The Nets All-Star took to Twitter after the ejection to say that he feels it is a word that needs to be eliminated.
“The N-word is a derogatory racial slur! It will never be a term of endearment, reclaimed, or flipped,” Irving said last month. “Never forget its foul and true history! Throw that N-word out the window, right alongside all of those other racist words used to describe my people. We are not slaves or N’s.”
The N-word is a derogatory racial slur!
It will never be…
-a term of endearment
-reclaimed
-flipped
NEVER FORGET ITS FOUL AND TRUE HISTORY!
Throw that N-word out the window, right alongside all of those other racist words used to describe my people.
We are not slaves or N’s
Kevin Durant Is Ready To Put the Regular Season Behind Him
Despite all the injuries that both the Nets and Lakers have faced this season they are still favored in the eyes of many as the teams that will meet in the NBA Finals. The Nets have to be careful to not count their chickens before they hatch, though.
The Eastern Conference is loaded with fierce competition with teams like the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks who are just as talented as Brooklyn. Nets star Kevin Durant knows that while a successful regular season is something to be proud of it is also irrelevant heading into the playoffs.
“Whatever we did so far is out the window. We obviously got principles and foundations that we want to build on, but it’s a new season for us and I think that’s the mentality we all want to have,” Durant said to reporters via NetsDaily.
“We did some solid things throughout the regular season, but we want to continue to keep getting better but not realize the regular season is over and it’s a new vibe for us, I’m looking forward to the preparation we’ll go through and the whole journey I’m looking forward to.”
The Nets will learn who their first-round opponent is after the Wizards and Celtics play-in game on Tuesday.
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