Getty Kyrie Irving moves the ball up the court.
The antics that Kyrie Irving pulled during Game 1 between the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets were a little too on display to be unnoticed by the league. As it turns out, the NBA doesn’t take too kindly to their players cussing out the fans and flipping them off. Especially if it happens multiple times in the same game. Hence, it was only a matter of time until the league handed out their punishment for Kyrie’s actions.
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has been fined $50,000 for middle finger gestures to fans on Sunday in Boston, as well as profane language.
For those who may not have been paying attention, Kyrie Irving came under fire for flipping off Celtics fans multiple times while also directing NSFW language at one during halftime, which was caught on a TikTok. Anytime only one of those actions occurs, the league fines the player for doing so. The fact that Kyrie lashed out multiple times during Game 1 made a fine feel inevitable, but some had speculated that the punishment would have potentially been worse knowing how many times Irving acted out.
The NBA Didn’t Fine Irving More For One Particular Reason
Fining a player $50,000 for flipping off the fans or cussing them out is the standard amount when such an occasion occurs. However, in Kyrie’s case, he committed both of those actions and repeated one of them multiple times in one game. That’s why many speculated beforehand that he was going to be fined more money or may have even potentially faced a suspension.
However, though Irving had been caught committing these finable actions multiple times throughout Game 1, he was still given the standard $50,000 fine anyway. Former Brooklyn Nets executive and ESPN Front Office Insider Bobby Marks explained why that was the case.
So, if Irving had been fined more money for his actions during Game 1, he could have potentially pressed charges on the league. Clearly, the NBA did not want to open up that can of worms so they didn’t.
All that matters at this point is what goes on from here. Kyrie Irving being fined $50,000 is a slap on the wrist to someone like him considering the money he makes both in and outside of the NBA. Irving sat out the majority of the season because of his vaccination status, losing him millions of dollars. Money’s clearly not a strong priority for him, so what’s to stop him from repeating those actions again whenever he visits Boston?
Kevin Durant Gives His Take on Kyrie’s Relationship with Celtics Fans
With so much buzz surrounding both Kyrie Irving and his interactions with the Boston crowd, it only seems appropriate that his friend and all-star teammate Kevin Durant would have some things to say about the matter.
Kevin Durant on Celtics fans’ hostility toward Kyrie Irving: “It’s rooted in love. They once loved you…had life altering experiences coming to games watching you play. So when it gets ripped from them in a trade…it feels like a piece of them is gone too.”
“It’s rooted in love. They once loved you and once cheered for you, bought your merchandise…had life-altering experiences coming to games watching you play. So when it gets ripped from them in something like a trade… or wanting to leave, it feels like a piece of them is gone too.”
Durant’s take on Celtics fans is refreshingly humanizing knowing that the same fanbase he’s talking about once booed him as well for not signing with Boston back in 2016. Durant faced a similar backlash when he left the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors at that time, except it was spread leaguewide because his addition made the Warriors arguably the best basketball team ever assembled.
To both sympathize with Kyrie and understand where Celtics fans are coming from is very altruistic of Kevin Durant, all things considered. Although his recollection of Kyrie Irving’s time as a Celtic could be put into question.