Kyrie Irving fined $25k for avoiding media interviews
'I don't talk to pawns,' said Irving
The NBA fined Brooklyn Nets player Kyrie Irving $25,000 for refusing to speak with reporters at the start of training camp. Interviews with the press are a part of Irving’s contract.
He has since released a statement via his Instagram Story in response to not being available during media week, saying frankly, “I do not talk to Pawns. My attention is worth more.”
“I pray we utilize the ‘fine money’ for the marginalized communities in need, especially seeing where our world is presently,” he said.
“So stop distracting me and my team, and appreciate the Art. We move different over here,” Irving continued. “I do not talk to Pawns. My attention is worth more.”
According to TMZ Sports, Irving is currently in the middle of negotiating a 4 year $136.5 million contract.
On Dec. 4, he released a statement through his spokesperson Ashley Blackwood instead of speaking directly to the media so that his message would be “conveyed properly.”
“I am committed to show up to work everyday, ready to have fun, compete, perform, and win championships alongside my teammates and colleagues in the Nets organization,” Irving said at the time. “My goal this season is to let my work on and off the court speak for itself.”
“Life hit differently this year and it requires us, it requires me, to move differently. So, this is the beginning of that change.”
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Blackwood clarified the statement saying Irving has no intentions of avoiding “traditional media.”
“He has every intent of building a mutually respectful with the media. This is his first attempt to communicate directly/effectively with the people who cover him the most,” said Blackwood.
Former teammate Kevin Love disagreed with Irving’s statement, telling reporters on Friday, “Calling anybody a pawn is a sure sign of disrespect. I’m not a divisive person.”
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