The NBA is reviewing Kyrie Irving’s actions, as videos of his party circulated the internet. The point guard of the Brooklyn Nets has been missing in the past three games. According to reports, he won’t be part of the game against the Denver Nuggets.

Irving’s lack of participation in the NBA games comes as a surprise since his 2020-2021 campaign has been great. The Brooklyn Nets player scored 26 points against the Warriors in the team’s season-opening win. Aside from that, he also won against the Celtics on Christmas Day with 37 points. 

The Nets star provides great statistics when it comes to his playing. He averages 27.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game. He also shoots from the field at 50.4% while from a 3-point range he shoots 42.6%. However, despite these amazing stats, how come he hasn’t played for the last three games?

Why the Brooklyn Nets Star is Not Playing

So far Irving missed out on three games, which are the Jan. 7 vs 76ers, Jan. 8 vs Grizzlies, and Jan. 10 vs Thunder. He is expected to miss out on a few more. With so many absences, many fans have been wondering what is up with the six-time All-Star.

According to the Brooklyn Nets, Irving is out due to personal reasons. Many reports claimed that he sat out because he felt upset after the storming of the U.S. Capitol by pro-Donald Trump rioters. The NBA team, along with its players, felt dismayed and horror about the horrific event. 

“Ky’s still on personal leave, and all the communication with Ky between the organization, I’m going to keep private. I’m sure you’ll hear from him at some point,” said Nash in an interview before the game between the Nets and Thunder. 

Even Kevin Durant, his fellow teammate who joined the Nets simultaneously as Irving due to the 2019 free agency, declined to say anything specific about Irving’s continued absence from the court. 

“I won’t speak about Kyrie. I’ll let him do that for himself. I’m sure you guys will see him soon, whenever he comes back, and we support him 100 percent and pray for the best,” says Durant.

Investigation of the Birthday Video Party

The NBA is currently launching an investigation about a video of Irving who allegedly attended a family birthday without a mask. According to Vincent Goodwill from Yahoo Sports, Irving’s father and sister both had birthdays during the week.

The video has been all over social media, and it showed Irving and his sister at a birthday party. The Brooklyn Nets later released a statement. Sean Marks, the team’s general manager, said that the Nets is working with Irving and the NBA in the said investigation.

“We are aware of a video on social media featuring Kyrie Irving at a family gathering. We are reviewing the circumstances with both Kyrie and the NBA in order to determine compliance with health and safety protocols. Kyrie remains away from the team due to personal reasons. A date of his return has yet to be finalized. In the meantime, we will continue to stay focused on our organizational goals. Kyrie will have the opportunity to address his absence when he is ready to do so.”

Although it might seem bleak for the Nets without their trusted point guard, Irving will be back in the game. Head coach Steve Nash confirmed that he expects the basketball player to return this season. Moreover, general manager, Marks, confirmed that Irving will remain away from the team for the meantime and that he’s return date is not yet finalized. 

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After the DA declined charges against the police in the Jacob Blake shooting, the Milwaukee Bucks boycott Game 5. Because of this, a wave of similar protests cascaded across the sports world. Just hours after the boycott, three WNBA, three Major League Baseball games, and five Major League Soccer games called off their events as athletes showed their support with the Milwaukee Bucks.  

The NBA then announced that it would postpone Game 5 of three different playoff series. These are the Bucks vs Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets vs Oklahoma City Thunder, and lastly, Los Angeles Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers.  

Milwaukee Bucks Against Police Brutality

The Bucks were playing against the Orlando Magic at 4:00 pm at Disney World, Orlando. However, the Bucks did not go out of their locker room for the scheduled trip. This is because of the injustice in the death of Jacob Blake.

The police shot Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Milwaukee is about forty miles north of Kenosha. His three children were inside the vehicle. A video of the shooting blew up on social media and prompted outrage all over the country over police brutality and racial injustice. 

After the announcement of Kenosha (WI) County District Attorney Michael Graveley that there would not be any charges against the police officer who shot and severely wounded Blake, the Bucks decided to boycott the game. 

The Bucks Issue a Statement

The Blake shooting was yet another reminder of the prevailing problem of police brutality and racial injustice in the United States. But, people are now doing something about this problem, and the Bucks are just one of the many who are taking a stand. 

The Milwaukee Bucks issued the following statement in support of their players:

“The Bucks organization remains firmly against excessive use of force by law enforcement. This past year shed light on the ongoing racial injustices facing our African American and other marginalized communities. Reoccurring instances of excessive use of force and immediate escalation when engaging the Black community must stop. We will continue to work to enact policy change so these incidents no longer exist. As an organization, we remain strongly committed to address issues of social injustice and anti-racism and to make meaningful change for African Americans and all marginalized members of our community.”

What the Bucks Players Think

The players also issued a statement. According to them, “The past four months have shed a light on the ongoing racial injustices facing our African-American communities. Citizens around the country have used their voices and platforms to speak out against these wrongdoings.

“Over the last few days in our home state of Wisconsin, we’ve seen the horrendous video of Jacob Blake being shot in the back seven times by a police officer in Kenosha, and the additional shooting of protestors. Despite the overwhelming plea for change, there has been no action, so our focus today cannot be on basketball.

“When we take the court and represent Milwaukee and Wisconsin, we are expected to play at a high level, give maximum effort and hold each other accountable. We hold ourselves to that standard, and in this moment, we are demanding the same from our lawmakers and law enforcement.”

The boycott was a monumental decision, and the right one as athletes and the NBA showed their overwhelming support for the boycott. Basketball has become so much more and will continue to be one of the most well-loved sports. 

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The Boston Celtics are in mourning as the iconic player, coach and broadcaster, Tom Heinsohn, dies at 86 years old at his home in Newton, Mass. The Hall of Fame forward played with the Boston Celtics on eight NBA championships. He also coached them to two titles, and for more than forty years, became their ardent broadcaster. 

According to Jeff Twiss, the cause of his death was renal failure and added the fact that Heinsohn also had several illnesses like diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.  

From 1956 to 1965, Heinsohn had started playing at the old Boston Garden and brought a shooting style to the dynasty engineered by Coach Auerbach. He was also the 1957 rookie of the year in the NBA and was a six-time All-Star. 

Remembering Tom Heinsohn

With ties as far back as the formation of Boston’s basketball dynasty, Heinsohn has always been with the Celtics for most of his career. He originally played college basketball at Holy Cross in Union City, New Jersey, until the Boston Celtics drafted him in 1956. 

Aside from being NBA’s rookie of the year in 1957, he also helped deliver Boston’s first NBA championship in that year. His playing career, which was from 1956 to 1965, consisted of six All-Star selections and eight championship runs.   

In 1969, he became the Boston Celtic’s head coach, and after winning the championships in both 1974 and 1976, he retired in 1978. But, his career in basketball did not stop there. He became a broadcaster and a play-by-play announcer for the Celtics. Heinsohn also became the fourth person who got inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and coach. 

A Devastating Loss for the Boston Celtics

The Celtics are in deep shock but are doing their best to let Heinsohn’s legacy continue to live on. According to their statement:

“It’s hard to imagine the Boston Celtics without Tommy Heinsohn. There isn’t a generation of Celtics fans for whom Tommy’s presence hasn’t been felt. He is the only person to be an active participant in each of the Celtics’ 17 World Championships, an extraordinary and singular legacy.

“For all of his accomplishments as a player, coach, and broadcaster, it is Tommy’s rich personality that defined the man. A loving father, grandfather, and husband. A talented painter and a lively golf partner. Unofficial mentor to decades of Celtics coaches and players. A frequent constructive critic of referees. Originator of the most “Celtic stat” of them all, The Tommy Point. And a boundless love for all things Boston Celtics, a passion which he shared with fans over 64 years.

We take this time to celebrate his life and legacy, and to share in the sorrow of his passing with his family, friends, and fans. As long as there are the Boston Celtics, Tommy’s spirit will remain alive.”

Despite this devastating loss, the Celtics will continue on, and all its fans will still be there to give them the support that they need. If you are looking for trusted bookie sites, you can check out our partner VOdds bookmakers. Sign up with this sportsbook and get a chance to bet comfortably and conveniently for your favourite NBA team!