NBA Fines Kyrie $50k for Violating Safety Protocols

At the beginning of the season both the Brooklyn Nets and their starting point guard, Kyrie Irving were both fined $25k each. The fine was due to Kyrie’s decision to not talk to the media during the start of training camp in September. “The focus is on what’s going on in here, you know, my job,” Kyrie said. “And I wanted to make sure that that was clear, no distractions, nothing about dispelling anything, nothing about going back-and-forth, nor about calling out one person or another.” Kyrie once again will have to open up his checkbook for the NBA as the league announced today that he has been fined $50,000.

Kyrie Fined for Violating Safety Protocols

“Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has been fined $50,000 by the NBA for violating health and safety protocols when he attended a private indoor party last weekend,” Shams Charania of The Athletic tweeted on Friday.

Earlier this week a video surfaced where Kyrie was seen celebrating his older sister Asia’s 30th birthday party in a club, with no mask on. This violates league policies. Players are not supposed to be present at lounges, bars, or gatherings with 15 people or more. “Irving will forfeit salary for any games missed due to the five-day quarantine period,” Shams continued. “He is eligible to return to Nets team activities on Saturday if he continues to test negative for coronavirus.” This would mean Kyrie forfeiting his game checks for the games he missed Tuesday and Wednesday against the Nuggets and the Knicks. The silver lining in all of this is Kyrie’s self-isolation is retroactive and he will be eligible to return Saturday when the Nets take on the Orlando Magic.

Kyrie Can Return To Lineup This Weekend

When Kyrie returns to the lineup, whether that is on Saturday or a later date he will have to adjust his style of play as the Nets roster is significantly different. The addition of eight-time all-star James Harden to the Nets roster will mean significantly fewer touches for everyone. Particularly Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. “It’s about how they play together and how willing they are to work and make each other better,” Nets head coach Steve Nash told reporters over Zoom on Friday. “If they really want to win they’ll find a way to play together”

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Having too much talent on your roster is always a good problem to have. However, when personalities are combustible it can often end in disaster. While James has a reputation that precedes him coming out of Houston, Nash isn’t at all concerned about that when it comes to The Beard. In his eyes, James showed nothing but leadership during his entire tenure with the Rockets. “I think James carried that team for many years and gave them everything he had. Since he asked for a trade, I think that’s a sample size that is fairly irrelevant as far as judging him.”

James addressed the media for the first time as a Net and spoke on his exit from Houston. “It didn’t go as smooth as I would’ve loved it to go, but I think both sides are happy,” he said.

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