UPDATED 1/20, 12:20 p.m. ET: Kyrie Irving has been fined $25,000 for using obscene language toward the Cavs fan who heckled him earlier this week, per Shams Charania.
See original story below.
During the Brooklyn Nets’ loss to the Cleveland Cavs on Monday, Kyrie Irving had choice words for some fans who heckled the star point guard from their courtside seats.
“Got y’all a championship and motherfuckers still ungrateful,” Irving was heard saying in a video that has since gone viral. Despite Brooklyn’s 114-107 loss, Kyrie finished Monday with 27 points, seven rebounds and nine assists while shooting 12-for-23 from the field.
Kyrie has been unable to play in any of the Nets’ home games this season due to NYC’s vaccine mandate, which requires people to have at least one shot of the vaccine to enter indoor gyms. Monday’s road game in Cleveland was the fourth time Irving has suited up this year since making his return against the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 5.
When asked about his vaccine status after the game, Kyrie stood by his decision to not get vaccinated.
“I’m not bringing science into the basketball,” Irving told reporters. “Everyone’s feeling what’s going on in the real world. I’m walking around as an unvaccinated person. I’ve already been separated into another group of community. I’m just saying to everybody, I’m human. I have decisions to make, I have a family to take care of.
Irving added, “There are things that are just as important to me as being great at the game of basketball or leaving a legacy.”
