Kyrie Irving had some choice words for Celtics fans who booed him from the stands when his Brooklyn Nets took on the Boston Celtics on Sunday.
“I know it’s going to be like that the rest of my career coming in here. It’s like the scorned girlfriend who wants an explanation on why I left but still hoping for a text back,” he said after the game. “I’m just like, ‘It was fun while it lasted.’”
He also noted that he appreciated his time in Boston, and said he was still on good terms with some former teammates. “I just got to lock in on the mission, stay focused, and not try to have too many conversations with the fans on the side when they call me out by name," Irving added.
Irving played for the Celtics for two seasons before leaving on acrimonious terms in 2019, so it’s no surprise that he received the brunt of the Boston faithful’s ire on Sunday. At one point near the end of the game, Celtics fans lead a “Kyrie sucks” chant even as Jayson Tatum encouraged them to quiet down.
Throughout the season, Irving has faced criticism for his anti-vaccine stance, which currently means he can’t play games in Brooklyn. Stephen A. Smith recently lamented the fact that visiting players can be unvaccinated and play at the Barclays Center, but Irving can’t.
“Kyrie Irving should have never been prevented or prohibited from playing a game at the Barclays Center this season," said Smith during a recent episode of First Take, during which he also acknowledged he was critical of Irving's anti-vaccine stance in the past. "Either you have to be vaccinated in order to play in an indoor facility in New York, or not.”
