Back with Nets after 7-game absence, Irving says he `just needed a pause'
Brooklyn star guard Kyrie Irving apologized to Nets for his seven-game absence but otherwise offered no specific explanation for what he was out due to personal reasons.
“A lot of family and personal stuff going on so I just want to leave it at that,” Irving said in a Zoom call with reporters on Tuesday.
Irving is expected to play Wednesday against Cleveland, his first game since Jan. 5, and it will also be the first time the Nets new Big 3 of Irving, Kevin Durant and newly acquired star James Harden play together.
“I am back, I am happy to be back, we got some great pieces and we move on and I let my actions and my game speak for itself like I planned on doing,” Irving said. “I just needed a pause.”
He said he took accountability with his teammates for his absence and addressed the issue with everybody that needed to know.
Asked if he was fine physically and mentally, he softly nodded yes. For much of the interview, he sat in the front of the camera with hi s arms folded and his chin resting on his right wrist.
“There's just so many assumptions about what's going in and so many people feel they know me best,” Irving said. “They have no idea who I am. It's a two-way street, and when things becoming overwhelming in life, you just got to take a step back and realize what's important. I love to play. That's never a question.”
While he was away from the team, a maskless Irving attended a private birthday party for his sister at a New Jersey establishment, which was a violation of the NBA's health and safety protocols. Video of the celebration was posted on social media.
The NBA f i ned hi m $50,000, and Irving forfeited two games of salary worth $816,889, and while Nets coach Steve Nash declined to address the issue of Irving's absence, preferring to keep the matter private, Brooklyn general manager Sean Marks said the organizati on was disappointed Irving wasn't with the team.
Irving acknowledged the Nets have supported him throughout.
When Irving was out, the Nets orchestrated a league-altering four-team trade that sent Harden from Houston to Brooklyn, Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince from Brooklyn to Cleveland, Caris LeVert from Brooklyn to Indiana and Victor Oladipo from Indiana to Houston. The Rockets always acquired four first-round picks in
the deal.
The Nets accelerated their championship push with the trade, and in Harden's first two games alongside Durant, the Nets are 2-0 and both players scored at least 30 points in each game. With Irving rejoining the team, Brooklyn has three impressive scorers who thrive with the basketball in their hands.
Irving said he is “very excited just to have James here. … We're just moving on to the next phase of developing as a team and building some camaraderie and having fun. … It's exciting to be able to play with great players that have been here in the league for a while, been through ups and downs, peaks and valleys. James is aligned with us just in terms of experience. Adding that to our locker room is going to be great for us.”
On Tuesday, former NBA player Stephen Jackson revealed Irving purchased a home f or George Floyd's family. Irving never said anything about it, and when asked about it, he called it selfless service.