‘Stop distracting me’ – Nets point guard Irving on fine

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 29: Kyrie Irving # 11 of the Brooklyn Nets in action against the Detroit Pistons during their game at the Barclays Center on January 29, 2020 in New York City. (Al Bello / Getty Images / AFP)

NEW YORK – Kyrie Irving appeared unrepentant in an Instagram post on Friday, a day after he and the Brooklyn Nets were fined $ 25,000 each by the NBA for their violation of the league’s media access rules. .

“I pray that we use the ‘fine money’ for underserved communities in need, especially seeing where our world is currently,” the six-time All-Star point guard wrote in an Instagram post he had opened with a quote from Malcolm X.

“(I am) I am here for peace, love and greatness. So stop distracting me and my team, and appreciate the art. We move differently around here.

“I don’t talk to Pawns,” Irving added. “My attention is worth more.”

The NBA fined Irving and his team on Thursday.

“The fines result from Irving’s refusal on several occasions this week to participate in the team’s media availability,” the league said in a statement.

Irving has not spoken to reporters in preparation for the NBA preseason, which began later Friday. The Nets were scheduled to play their first preseason game Sunday at home to the Washington Wizards.

Irving, instead, issued a statement to reporters last week to “ensure that my message is conveyed correctly.”

“I am committed to arriving at work every day, ready to have fun, compete, perform and win championships alongside my teammates and colleagues from the Nets organization,” he said in the statement.

“My goal this season is to let my work on and off the court speak for itself. Life hit differently this year and it demands of us, it demands of me, to move in another way. So this is the beginning of that change. “

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