Former NBA hooper Džanan Musa says sharing a locker room with Kyrie Irving brought moments he never expected.
During an appearance on the 6.75range podcast, Musa described a pre-practice routine that stood out during their time with the Brooklyn Nets, per FadeawayWorld. According to Musa, Irving burned sage in the locker room before practices and asked teammates to wait outside until he finished.
“Kyrie is a guy who lives in his own movie,” Musa said. “You can be there, but he’s still doing his own thing.” He added that before each practice, Irving would light sage and teammates could not enter until he felt he had cleared negative energy. “I didn’t agree with it, of course, but Kyrie is Kyrie. What was I supposed to say? Tell him to leave?”
Musa made clear that he never viewed the ritual as harmful. Instead, he framed it as part of Irving’s personality and status. When a franchise centerpiece sets the tone, few role players challenge it.
Burning sage, often referred to as smudging, traces back to spiritual cleansing traditions practiced by several Native American communities. Irving has openly embraced that heritage. His late mother, Elizabeth Ann Larson, belonged to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the Lakota community. She passed away when Irving was four, and he later reconnected with his roots. In 2018, tribal leaders formally welcomed him.
Irving joined Brooklyn in 2019, one year after the team drafted Musa with the 29th pick in 2018. Musa arrived from Europe with promise but struggled to carve out a steady role. Across two seasons with the Nets, he averaged 4.3 points per game before the team traded him to the Detroit Pistons in November 2020. Detroit waived him the following month.
Musa returned overseas and rebuilt his career. He won a EuroLeague title with Real Madrid in 2023 and now plays for Dubai Basketball.
Irving’s tenure in Brooklyn lasted longer but brought turbulence that extended far beyond pregame rituals. Musa’s recollection adds another layer to that chapter. For some teammates, the sage symbolized culture and belief. For others, it underscored how different Irving operated inside a shared space.
