Brooklyn Nets guard Caris LeVert has shut down notions that Kyrie Irving left everyone in the dark with his sudden decision to sit out the team's match against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. Per The Athletic's Joe Vardon, LeVert revealed that the controversial Nets superstar actually informed his teammates in advance.
Caris LeVert said Kyrie texted Nets players before the game
— Joe Vardon (@joevardon) January 8, 2021
If this is true, it seems Kyrie Irving left out head coach Steve Nash from that conversation, since he claimed he has no idea why his starting point guard did show up at Barclays Center. Irving cited personal reasons for his absence, while some reports claimed that Irving simply didn't want to play.
Uncle Drew has remained mum about the issue in the meantime, but it appears that the shocking events of the attack of the US Capitol may have played a factor in his choice. Donald Trump supporters stormed the historic US landmark on Wednesday in a bid to halt President-Elect Joe Biden's ceremonial counting of votes.
Irving, a 6-time All-Star, has been vocal in the past that basketball should take a backseat when it comes to dealing with social issues.
In the now-infamous players' meeting last year, Irving expressed his opposition with the resumption of the 2019-20 NBA campaign at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement. The Nets, meanwhile, still got the job done on Thursday sans Irving. They came away with an impressive 122-109 victory against the streaking Sixers and improved their record to 5-4. Irving is notching brilliant numbers of 27.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.6 steals in seven games this season.
Right now, Brooklyn is still trying to find its groove as one cohesive unit. It remains unclear how long Irving would sit out, but it could pose problem's for the team's chemistry moving forward.
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