This new season of the NBA, Kyrie Irving is the epitome of mounting expectations and he hopes to live up to those expectations. However, in Friday night's win against the Philadelphia 76ers, he responded to a heckler in a manner that cost him a $25,000 fine. Trailing 4 points against Philadelphia in the first half of the game, one fan shouted "Where's LeBron," while the Celtics team walked to their locker room. Kyrie responded with a nonchalant "S*ck my d--k!" comment.
The NBA League is known to have strict rules about athletes behaving badly on the court and in their daily lives.
ESPN's interview with Kyrie Irving on Saturday revealed the Celtics superstar does not regret his action. "It's up to the league at this point. But like I said, I'm going to take full responsibility for what I said. I don't have any regrets for it."
Kyrie Irving on the Philadelphia fan
"[The fan was] man enough to record it on video, then that's all him. I'm glad he got his [social media] name out there and then, kinda, five seconds of fame and it going viral -- that's the social media platform we live on," he added.
According to the Bleacher Report, Irving acknowledged the exchange against the Philadelphia fan. He even managed to joke about the incident implying how strong and resilient he is unless you engage him in such conversation during halftime.
You can see the exchange on the Instagram post below:
Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens, while admitting that he has not talked to Kyrie about the incident, said that players who engage in such incident should know the right thing to do. If they make a mistake, then they should own up their mistakes. "There's a right and wrong, and if you're in the wrong, you have to own up to it," Stevens added.
Working the first unit after Hayward's injury
Irving is known to be a man of few words, choosing his statements carefully and cautiously. After losing two consecutive games since opening night, Irving has carried the weight of putting the Celtics back on the map. Things got worse when Gordon Hayward had that gruesome injury against the Cavs.
With the Boston Celtics having to rebuild its first unit, Kyrie Irving is understandably touchy about all aspects of the game.
Gordon Hayward's agent has since announced that his surgery has been successful but is unsure whether he will be able to return this season.
The Boston Celtics took home their first win this season against the Philadelphia 76ers with a score of 102-92. The team's next game will be against the New York Knicks on Tuesday, October 24, 2017.
