NEW YORK — Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets have every been fined $25,000 by the NBA for failure to adjust to the league’s media guidelines.
“The fines outcome from Irving’s refusal on a number of events this week to take part within the staff media availability,” the NBA mentioned in a press release Thursday.
The NBA requires that wholesome gamers be made obtainable to reporters earlier than or after video games and practices. Usually, the league additionally has groups put aside in the future in the beginning of coaching camp for each participant on the roster, in addition to the final supervisor and coach, to talk to reporters. This yr, the league’s coronavirus protocols restrict the variety of gamers allowed within the facility at any given time, and groups have been making a handful of gamers obtainable every day.
Irving has declined quite a few requests to talk to reporters, together with these from ESPN, for the reason that starting of coaching camp on Dec. 1.
The guard launched a quick assertion Friday as a substitute of doing a standard information convention.
“As an alternative of chatting with the media immediately, I’m issuing this assertion to make sure that my message is correctly conveyed,” Irving’s assertion mentioned, partly. “I’m dedicated to indicate as much as work day-after-day, able to have enjoyable, compete, carry out, and win championships alongside my teammates and colleagues within the Nets group.”
That assertion didn’t fulfill the league’s media necessities.
Irving, 28, joined the Nets in 2019 on a four-year, $141 million deal. The $25,000 high quality quantities to lower than 1% of Irving’s annual pay.
For a participant to file a grievance, the NBA must high quality the participant greater than $50,000, based on ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
The Nets are scheduled to play their first preseason recreation Sunday in opposition to the Washington Wizards.
