Getty Not everyone is pleased with how Kyrie Irving handled things.
The Brooklyn Nets dropped their playoff opener to the Boston Celtics thanks to a game-winning shot by Jayson Tatum, but much of the post-game chatter is about how Kyrie Irving handled the heckling from the fans.
It’s no secret that Irving had a messy exit from the Celtics after previously stating he’d like to spend the rest of his career in Boston. Every game he’s played there since he’s joined the Nets has resulted in him being showered with boos.
Because of that, it’s not all that surprising he’d face a similarly hostile reaction in the playoffs, but Irving wasn’t playing around this time.
There were numerous times Irving was caught on camera yelling back at fans or even flipping them the middle finger. Depending on who you ask, you’ll get a variety of different answers on the way Irving handled it.
Former teammate turned ESPN NBA analyst Richard Jefferson isn’t a fan of how Irving went about the situation.
Jefferson Slams Irving
.@Rjeff24 reacts to Kyrie Irving’s recent interaction with fans.
“As players we can’t meet fans energy the same way. … You’re not just reacting to that fan, you’re reacting to the kids … I just don’t think that’s positive for our league.”
Speaking on the April 18 episode of ESPN’s NBA Today, Jefferson offered his take on Irving’s interactions and said he was disappointed.
“As players, we can’t meet fans’ energy the same way,” he said. “You’re not just reacting to that fan, you’re reacting to the kids.”
He argues that while you can’t necessarily control what the fans are saying to you, you can control how you’ll respond to them.
“You control what you can control on the court and off the court,” he said. Jefferson said Irving has heard plenty of insults in the past, so he shouldn’t have stooped down to the level of the fans.
The NBA hasn’t laid down a fine for Irving as of yet, but it’s only a matter of time before they hit him with one. Speaking in the post-game press conference, he explained his decision to engage with them as simply matching the same energy they were giving him.
Irving Explains Why
GettyKyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles as Caris LeVert #3 of the Cleveland Cavaliers defends.
It’s no secret that reporters were dying to ask Irving about his run-ins with fans, and he said he knew it’d happen.
“Look, where I’m from, I’m used to all these antics and people being close nearby,” he said. “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, I’m going to have the same energy for them.”
He did explain that it’s not every Boston fan acting hostile toward him, but that doesn’t mean the bad apples aren’t louder than the others.
“And it’s not every fan, I don’t want to attack every fan, every Boston fan,” he continued. “When people start yelling ‘p****’ or ‘b****’ and ‘f*** you’ and all this stuff, there’s only but so much you take as a competitor. We’re the ones expected to be docile and be humble, take a humble approach, f*** that, it’s the playoffs. This is what it is.”
With Game 2 also taking place in Boston, Irving will likely get another hostile crowd. Luckily for him and the Nets, it doesn’t seem like the heckling has affected his play at all.
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Former Kyrie Irving Teammate Slams Way Nets Star Handled Celtics Fans’ Heckling