While his teammates prepared to take on the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night, Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving was apparently engaging in local politics.
The point guard was seemingly spotted attending a virtual campaign event for Tahanie Aboushi, a progressive civil rights attorney running for Manhattan District Attorney.
"Woah! Amazing turnout tonight at our organizing program launch!" Aboushi captioned a screen shot of the Zoom call. "Thanks to the over 150 volunteers & supporters that joined us & special thanks to @CynthiaNixon & @lsarsour for speaking. Now, let's go turn this system upside down!"
ESPN's Malika Andrews came across Aboushi's tweet and quickly realized Irving was likely in attendance. She pointed to one of the participants whose name was listed as "Kai Irving." And although his face was partially covered by his hand in the shot, a number of Twitter users confidently identified "Kai" as the All-Star.
Irving has missed the Nets' last four games due to "personal reasons." During his hiatus, the NBA announced it was investigating a video that shows Irving attending his sister's maskless birthday party. Although it's unclear when the celebration took place, the footage may prove Irving had violated the league's COVID-19 restrictions, which prohibits athletes from attending social events with more than 15 people.
Nets general manager Sean Marks addressed the video and Irving's absence in a statement Tuesday.
"We are aware of a video on social media featuring Kyrie Irving at a family gathering," Marks said. "We are reviewing the circumstances with both Kyrie and the NBA in order to determine compliance with health and safety protocols.
"Kyrie remains away from the team due to personal reasons. A date of his return has yet to be finalized. In the meantime, we will continue to stay focused on our organizational goals.
"Kyrie will have the opportunity to address his absence when he is ready to do so."
