NBA announces punishment against Kyrie Irving for obscene gestures, profane language

Kyrie Irving made headlines this week for making obscene gestures and using profane language toward fans. Tuesday, the NBA announced the punishment.

The NBA is fining Irving $50,000 for the incidents, the league said. The decision comes just two days after the Brooklyn Nets guard was seen gesturing toward fans at TD Garden in Boston and someone got video of him using the language afterward into the locker room.

Irving’s season has been a wild ride for Brooklyn because of his vaccination status. New York had a mandate in place saying unvaccinated players couldn’t play in the state. That meant he was a part-time player until New York lifted the mandate right before the end of the season, meaning he’s fully available for the playoffs.

Despite a fantastic game from Irving in Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs, Celtics fans got the last laugh when Jayson Tatum hit a last-second layup to give Boston the 115-114 victory. Irving, a former Celtic, scored 39 points in the loss, including a 6-for-10 shooting night from three-point range. Boston now leads the series 1-0, putting additional pressure on a Nets team that began the season with championship aspirations.

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After the game, Irving downplayed the effect the TD Garden fans had on his game on Sunday. Then, he had an interesting exchange with ESPN’s Nick Friedell in the press conference.

“I mean, where I’m from I’m used to all the antics and people being close nearby,” Irving said. “It’s nothing new when I come into this building what it’s gonna be like. But it’s the same energy they have for me, it’s gonna be the same energy I’m gonna have the for them. But it’s not every fan, I don’t want to attack every fan, every Boston fan — but when people start yelling “p***y,” and “b***h,” and “f*** you” and all this stuff. There’s only so much you can take as a competitor.

“And we’re the ones expected to be docile and humble, take the humble approach. That’s the playoffs, it’s what it is. I know what to expect in here and it’s the same energy I’m giving back to them. It is what it is. I’m not really focused on it, it’s fun. Again, where I’m from I’ve dealt with so much, so coming in here you relish it as a competitor. This isn’t my first time at TD Garden, so what you guys saw, what you guys think is entertainment, what fans think is entertainment — all is fair in competition. So if somebody’s gonna call me out on my name, I’m gonna look at them straight in the eye and see if they’re really about it. Most of the time they’re not.”

On3’s Austin Brezina contributed to this report.