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The NBA has hitKyrie Irvingwith a hefty penalty.
On Thursday, the league announced it had fined the 29-year-old Brooklyn Nets point guard $25,000, following an incident with a fan during Monday night’s game.
As explained in astatementattributed to Byron Spruell, NBA President of League Operations, Irving was charged “for directing obscene language toward a fan.”
The incident occurred during the Nets' 114-107 loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse earlier this week. With 4:19 remaining in the second quarter, a Cavaliers fan, who was sitting courtside, could be heard heckling Irving in a now viralvideo. The seven-time All-Star then responded, “Got y’all a championship and motherf—— still ungrateful.”
Irving played for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2011-2017, contributing to the 2016 NBA championship title and the franchise’sfirst win in 52 years.
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Representatives for Irving and the Brooklyn Nets did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Irving has only played in five games this season for the Nets due to hisrefusal to get vaccinatedagainst COVID-19. The NBA star returned to the court just two weeks ago after being benched for three months.
The Nets announced their decision tobring back Irving for road gameson Dec. 17, as other Nets players were out of commission due to injuries and the need to heed health and safety restrictions.
“We arrived at this decision with the full support of our players and after careful consideration of our current circumstances, including players missing games due to injuries and health and safety protocols,” general manager Sean Marks said in a statement at the time.
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“We believe that the addition of Kyrie will not only make us a better team but allow us to more optimally balance the physical demand on the entire roster,” he added.
Nevertheless, Irving is still unable to play in the Nets' home games due to New York City’s COVID-19 guidelines, as he remains unvaccinated.
Irving has maintained his stance on the vaccine, explaining that he can’t “be swayed” during Monday’s post-gamepress conference.
“I stay rooted in my decision and that’s just what it is,” Irving told reporters after he was questioned about reconsidering getting the shot following teammateKevin Durant’s injury.
source: people.com
