Irving indicates he plans to stay with Nets

Kyrie Irving is finally going to play a home game for the Nets again on Sunday. And he apparently intends to play home games with the Nets for years to come.

Irving, speaking to reporters Saturday following the Nets’ gameday shootaround practice in Miami, said he feels comfortable being a member of the Nets and that he wants to remain teammates with Kevin Durant.

Irving holds a $36.5 million player option for next season. He could opt out and sign up to a fiveyear contract worth as much as $246 million this coming summer — assuming the Nets offer such a deal.

“I love it here,” Irving said. “Once summertime hits, I know that we’ll have some conversations but there’s no way I can leave my man 7 anywhere.”

That was a reference to Durant, who wears jersey No. 7 for the Nets.

Irving’s comments came one day before he’s scheduled to play his first home game for the Nets this season, now that New York City mayor Eric Adams exempted athletes and performers from the city’s coronavirus vaccine mandate.

Reina Perez’s steal at midcourt and layup with 14 seconds left lifted top-seeded N.C. State to a 66-63 win over fifth-seed Notre Dame on Saturday in the Bridgeport Region semifinals. It’s the Wolfpack’s first trip to the Elite Eight since 1998 when they reached the Final Foul . ... Hailey Van Lith had 23 points and six assists, Emily Engstler had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 1 seed Louisville held off Tennessee 76-64 in the women’s NCAA Tournament on Saturday to reach the Elite Eight for the fourth consecutive time.

College basketball:

Tennis: Top-seeded Daniil Medvedev opened his quest at trying to reclaim the world’s No. 1 ranking Saturday by topping Andy Murray 6-4, 6-2 in the second round of the Miami Open.