Prior to Tuesday, the last time Kyrie Irving had been seen with the Nets was after a 29-point performance on Jan. 5 against the Jazz. That came a day after Kevin Durant was forced to quarantine for a week due to COVID-19 contact tracing.
Two weeks later, Irving returned to address his mysterious absence, the cause of which he said was due to personal and family reasons. Slouched on a table with his arms crossed, Irving met with reporters over Zoom to discuss the hiatus, which caused him to miss Brooklyn’s last seven games. Brooklyn went 5-2 in his absence. He also discussed the new-look team he’s returning to alongside Durant and James Harden, while avoiding talk of the $816,000 salary he forfeited and $50,000 fine he incurred due to a violation of the league’s health and safety protocols after video captured him maskless at a birthday party for his father and older sister.
Nets coach Steve Nash expects Irving to play on Wednesday in Cleveland, which…
