Kyrie Irving’s controversial seven-game absence from the Brooklyn Nets finally appears to be coming to an end.
On Tuesday morning, Irving spoke to the media and signaled that he would rejoin his team come Wednesday.
According to Malika Andrews of ESPN, “there’s been a lot of family and personal stuff” going on over the last two weeks with Irving, which is why he had been sitting out. Beyond that, he refrained from offering a specific reason for his absenteeism.
That said, the real reason for his absence is a matter of public record at this point.
Beyond that, Irving also apologized to the fans who were disappointed by him sitting out.
“I am back, I am happy to be back, we got some great pieces and we move on and I let my actions and my game speak for itself like I planned on doing,” he said. “I just needed a pause.”
Now the onus falls on Nets head coach Steve Nash to figure out how to properly integrate Irving back into the lineup. According to the Associated Press, “Nash said the Nets would do little more than watch film and walk through some plays on Tuesday, but would try to have Irving work out on the court against some teammates to improve his conditioning after his layoff.”
Back when Tiger didn’t know how to get women, MJ gave him a 6-word pick-up line that changed everything. https://t.co/OTz84sZ7vY
— Game 7 (@game7__) January 19, 2021
There have been a lot of interesting theories floated about Irving’s absence, but all that matters at this point is that he is back.
Prior to his sabbatical, Irving was averaging 27.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.6 steals while shooting 50.4 percent from the field and 42.6 percent from beyond the arc in Brooklyn’s first seven games. If he can regain that form alongside Kevin Durant and James Harden, the Nets promise to be very dangerous over the next few months.
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Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
