Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving was seen maskless at an allegedly recent family birthday party during his mysterious absence away from the team. There is a strong possibility Irving won't return to the floor for the remainder of the week, per ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski and Malika Andrews.
Sources with @Malika_Andrews: As the NBA is expected to begin examining online videos circulating of a maskless Kyrie Irving at a family birthday party, there’s no belief that he will return to the Brooklyn Nets lineup this week.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 12, 2021
Irving's absence was previously speculated to be in relation to the riots at the U.S. Capitol last week. However, that rationale is now being put into question with the leaking of these videos and the lack of transparency coming from Kyrie.
Kyrie Irving last played in the Nets' tilt against the Utah Jazz on Jan. 5. The storming of the Capitol happened the very next day, and he failed to suit up in ensuing games against the Philadelphia 76ers, Memphis Grizzlies, and Oklahoma City Thunder due to “personal reasons.”
Now, it looks like Irving will miss games against the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, and Orlando Magic. There's no end in sight for this extended absence as the NBA investigates these videos. The star point guard could be punished for violating COVID-19 protocols if the league determines this partying occurred recently.
In the meantime, Nets head coach Steve Nash will have to get his other players to step up during Kyrie Irving's continued absence in order to end their two-game losing skid. Brooklyn is a disappointing 5-6 on the season so far, though Kevin Durant did just return from a stint in the health and safety protocols. KD will be relied on even more than usual with Kyrie still away from the team.
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