Kyrie Irving has been ordered to pay a hefty fine following an exchange with a fan during Sunday’s playoff game.
The league fined the Nets player for “making obscene gestures on the playing court and directing profane language toward the spectator stands.”
The incident occurred when the Brooklyn Nets went head to head with the Celtics in Boston. At the halftime mark, Irving was captured on video responding to a heckling Celtics fan in the stands. The point guard told the spectator to “suck my d**k b***h” and showed his middle finger. After the game, Irving opened up about the incident and did not express any regret, seemingly losing patience with the hecklers.
The following was released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/KpNRX6alBg
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 19, 2022
“When people start yelling p***y or b***h and f**k you and all this stuff, [there’s] just so much you can take,” he explained. One reporter pointed out that this was the first time Irving had flipped off a fan, but he quickly corrected her, confessing that it was the first time he’d been caught.
Following the rowdy back and forth, the NBA imposed a $50,000 fine on the 30-year-old for giving the heckler the middle finger and using profane language toward fans. This is not Irving’s first time being hit with a penalty for comments he made toward game attendees this year. In January, he was forced to pay a $25,000 fine after telling a Cleveland Cavaliers fan, “Got y’all a championship, motherf***ers, still ungrateful.” He previously played for the Cavaliers from 2011 to 2017.
The Nets ultimately lost to the Celtics, with a score of 115 to 114. Irving finished with 39 points, including 18 in the fourth quarter, though it was no match for Jayson Tatum, who delivered a stunning layup in the clock’s final seconds.
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