Nets guard Kyrie Irving has been fined $50K by the NBA, the league announced Tuesday in a press release.
According to the statement, Irving was penalized for “making obscene gestures on the playing court and directing profane language toward the spectator stands.” The incidents occurred during Game 1 of the Nets’ first-round series with the Celtics, as Irving got into it with some of the fans in Boston.
Irving, who played for the Celtics from 2017-19 before departing for Brooklyn in free agency, spoke to reporters after Sunday’s game about his interactions with the Boston faithful, as Nick Friedell of ESPN relays.
“Look, where I’m from, I’m used to all these antics and people being close nearby,” Irving said. “It’s nothing new when I come into this building what it’s going to be like — but it’s the same energy they have for me, I’m going to have the same energy for them.
“And it’s not every fan, I don’t want to attack every fan, every Boston fan. When people start yelling ‘p—y’ or ‘b—-‘ and ‘f— you’ and all this stuff, there’s only but so much you take as a competitor. We’re the ones expected to be docile and be humble, take a humble approach, f— that, it’s the playoffs. This is what it is.”
Irving previously likened Celtics fans to a “scorned girlfriend” following a March game in Boston.
While $50K is a drop in the bucket for a maximum-salary player like Irving, it’s worth noting that $50K is the largest amount the NBA can fine a player without opening the door for the player to appeal the decision and take the issue to a grievance arbitrator.
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