NEW YORK – Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets were each fined $ 25,000 each by the NBA for failing to abide by the League’s media rules.
“The fines result from Irving’s refusal on several occasions this week to participate in the team’s media availability,” the NBA said in a statement.
The NBA requires healthy players to be available to reporters before or after games and practices. Typically, the League also has teams reserved one day at the start of training camp for each player on the roster, as well as the general manager and coach, to speak to reporters. This year, the League’s coronavirus protocols limit the number of players allowed on the premises at any given time, and teams have been making a handful of players available each day.
Irving has turned down numerous requests to speak to reporters, including those from ESPN, since the start of training camp on Dec. 1.
The guard issued a short statement on Friday instead of holding a traditional press conference.
“Rather than speaking to the media today, I am issuing this statement to ensure that my message is conveyed correctly,” Irving’s statement said, in part. “I’m committed to getting to work every day, ready to have fun, compete, perform, and win championships alongside my teammates and colleagues from the Nets organization.”
That statement did not meet the League’s media requirements.
Irving joined the Nets in 2019 on a four-year, $ 141 million contract. The $ 25,000 fine is equal to less than 1% of Irving’s annual salary.
For a player to file a complaint, the NBA would have to fine the player more than $ 50,000, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
The Nets play their first preseason game Sunday against the Washington Wizards.
– .
