After months of sitting out all, then most, then some of the Nets’ activities this season, Kyrie Irving finally came full-circle Sunday: he played his first home game as a Net this season – his first game at Barclays Center since June 7, 2021, -- as a result of the NYC vaccine mandate being rolled back for athletes and performers.
Irving drew a bit of a ruckus earlier this month when he entered Barclays Center on a Sunday – once the indoor mandates for guests were lifted – to watch his Nets defeat the Knicks, and on this Sunday, he got quite the ovation in his first home action in almost nine months.
And quite the relief for Kyrie, too, despite a 119-110 loss to Charlotte on the floor.
"I don’t take it for granted; what happened (Sunday night) was historic," Irving said after the game. "I’m grateful that I got a chance to be out there with my brothers and just leave it all out there. Not the result we wanted, but that’s just the flow of basketball. Definitely grateful we were a part of history tonight, and I got to do it here."
Irving played 41 minutes and had a double-double of 16 points and 11 assists, but the loss dropped the Nets to 39-36 on the season and ninth in the Eastern Conference standings – right behind the 39-36 Hornets – with seven games left and Kyrie wasn’t as jazzed as he should’ve been about the performance.
“I didn’t shoot as well I wanted, basically none of the things I had hoped for going well just didn’t happen,” Irving said. “Mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, felt okay, but just the jump shot wasn’t falling, and we weren’t hitting shots. Not the result we wanted.”
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Still, an exciting night all around, and one that, hopefully, can now be put in the rear view as the Nets get ready for their final seven games of the season and a playoff push.
“I think he was excited," said Nets head coach Steve Nash. "It was his first game here at Barclays, so I thought he was excited and looking forward to the opportunity to play in front of the home crowd.”
“Now that everybody can move on, especially in the locker room, limited distractions, no fear, next game we’ll be better,” Irving said. “I’m just glad it’s done.”
Thankfully for the Nets, Irving will be able to play in all seven of those remaining contests, six of which (five home games and one at MSG) he would not have been able to participate in as late as last week.
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That’s important as the team jockeys for position with Charlotte and Cleveland and tries to hold off Atlanta in the battle for the East’s play-in tournament, but as important as his role is on the court, Kyrie plans to continue his important battle as a “voice for the voiceless” off the court – which he expounded upon in an extended answer about the situation after the game:
“I’ve made it very clear it was never just about me. I think for my own legacy, that’s to be written by all those that I impact and all those that impact me. It’s far bigger than just a basketball game, but when I’m in this locker room, I get a chance to perform with a bunch of guys that are selfless and are sacrificing just as much as I am. Makes it worthwhile, but the point of this season for me was to never just take a stand. It was really to make sure that I’m standing for what I believe in: freedom. I don’t think that’s a word that gets defined enough in our society, about the freedom to make choices with your life without someone telling you what to do, and whether that carries over into nuances of our society that politicians control, the government controls, or things people that have power, the powers may be that control. I’m standing for freedom."
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