Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving will not play on Sunday against the rival New York Knicks. Irving, 27, a close friend to recently deceased legendary shooting guard Kobe Bryant, is out for personal reasons, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.
Bryant, dead at 41 years young, perished in a helicopter crash with 13-year-old daughter Gianna on Sunday afternoon in Calabasas, California.
Controversially, the NBA did not suspend its slate of games on Sunday, with the Nuggets and Rockets tipping off shortly after the news broke of the future Hall of Famer Bryant's death. Soon after that, the Raptors and Spurs tipped off, too, and both sides incurred purposeful 24-second shot-clock violations to honor Bryant's memory.
After missing two months for the Nets, Irving returned last week for the struggling Brooklyn and scored 45 points in an overtime win over the Detroit Pistons just last night. Irving was expected to play today at Madison Square Garden, lit up purple and gold in Bryant's honor, but will now sit due to the tragic passing of the retired Lakers legend.
Bryant was a five-time NBA champion and one-time MVP along with an eighteen-time All-Star who spent twenty seasons as a member of the Lakers. Irving has often cited the retired shooting guard as inspiration for the Nets point guard, in his first year with the Brooklyn franchise following two seasons in Boston.
Sunday is an emotional day for the league as players, coaches, and officials mourn the loss of an immense figure in the history of the sport, with players already heartbroken speaking about Bryant's passing on social media and in person at the games going on right now.
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