Days before Kyrie Irving returns to Boston and face the crowd that once supported him, the Brooklyn Nets star shared his hope that there won't be any racism. Now, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is speaking out on the issue as well.
Before the Nets-Celtics Game 3 on Friday, Tatum appeared on ESPN's The Jump where he was asked about Irving's latest comment. While President and GM Danny Ainge expressed skepticism about Kyrie's claim, Tatum was more supporting and emphasized that they have varying experiences.
“Not towards me. Everybody has different experiences. It's something that shouldn't be tolerated in any arena,” the Celtics star shared when asked if he has experienced racism in Boston.
Tatum also agreed that there is no room for racism and other disrespectful acts in basketball.
“Everyone is expected to act a certain way whether you're on the court or not. I understood what he was saying and trying to keep it about basketball,” Tatum added.
Kyrie Irving did not have the best relationship with Celtics fans in his two seasons with the team from 2017 to 2019. With that said, he certainly expects to hear a lot of jeers and boos from the crowd when he plays in the fabled TD Garden. It's the playoffs, after all, and the intensity is high.
Irving's comments are understandable though, especially considering the recent fan incidents when some threw popcorn and spat on players while in the arena. As Jayson Tatum said it, any rude behavior is just unacceptable.
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