Emotions ran high for Kyrie Irving as he prepared to make his Brooklyn Nets debut in front of his new home crowd. The All-Star guard, who signed a four-year, $137 million deal this summer, addressed the crowd, telling them just how important it was to be home:
“Oh man, I am eternally grateful to be here, to be back home in front of you guys,” said Irving prior to tip-off. “On behalf of all of us … Oh man, sorry, it is just hitting me right now. I appreciate you guys. I look forward to you guys supporting us all season. Let’s go, Nets.”
Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of his grandfather's death, one he noted hurt him deeply through the early stretch of last season:
“I just had to make choice to be happy out there,” said Irving, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY Sports. “My grandfather would only want it that way for me. He was my biggest fan. He was definitely in there tonight. I felt him, and I know he’s going to be with me.”
Irving took 33 shots and made 17 of them, including 7-of-14 from beyond the arc in a blistering 50-point performance that fell one game-winner shy of perfect. But the emotions were vivid from the time he stepped foot inside the Barclays Center, and he admitted it was tough:
“I was just trying to play it as cool as I could,” said Irving. “It was going to be a tough day regardless. Yesterday was tougher than today just talking to my grandmother, talking to my dad, talking to my sister. Today, I made a conscious choice when I woke up to be grateful for the day and every day going forward.”
Irving now leads the league in scoring with that 50-point performance, giving Nets fans a strong glance at what they could experience this season with him in the lineup.
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