The rudeness given by point guard Kyrie Irving to journalists at the beginning of training with the Brooklyn Nets cost him this Thursday the $ 25,000 fine that was imposed on him by the NBA.
The Nets also received the same fine for failing to enforce the player’s media rules that are set by the league.
“The fines are the result of Irving’s refusal on several occasions this week to participate in the availability of the team’s media,” the NBA announced in the official statement it offered on Thursday.
The NBA requires healthy players to be available to journalists before or after games and training sessions.
Typically, the league also has teams reserved one day at the start of training camp for each player on the roster, as well as the general manager and coach, to speak to reporters.
This year, coronavirus protocols The league limits the number of players allowed on the premises at any given time, and teams have been making a number of players available each day.
Irving has rejected numerous requests to speak to journalists and his first communication was made through a statement offered by the team, since the Nets began training on December 1.
Last Friday, the All-Star point guard issued a brief statement Instead of holding a traditional press conference, which he ruled out entirely.
“Rather than speaking to the media today, I am issuing this statement to ensure that my message is conveyed correctly,” Irving’s statement said, in part. “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.”
That statement did not meet the requirements The league and NBA media has also warned Irving and the Nets that the player’s attitude must change radically if they do not want to have much more serious consequences for the future, when the preseason games begin tomorrow, Friday .
Irving, 28, joined the Nets in 2019 on a four-year, $ 141 million contract. The $ 25,000 fine is equal to less than 1% of Irving’s annual salary.
For a player to file a complaint, the NBA would have to fine the player more than $ 50,000, according to what is established in the collective agreement.
The Nets are scheduled to play their first preseason game Sunday when they face the Washington Wizards, where star point guard Russell Westbrook could make his debut.
