NBA star Kyrie Irving has caused another social media stir after cameras caught him burning sage prior to his first match in Boston since leaving the Celtics.<\/p>\n
Irving's messy two-season tenure with the Celtics came to an end in the 2019 off-season when he joined the Brooklyn Nets as a free-agent alongside Kevin Durant.<\/p>\n
After he missed Brooklyn's trips to the TD Garden last season through injury, Irving was set to make his first return to the arena as an opponent since leaving the Celtics during the Nets' pre-season finale on Saturday morning AEDT.<\/p>\n
Cameras pictured Irving walking around the outside of the court by himself spreading the sage before he appeared to fist pump a Celtics staffer during his ritual.<\/p>\n
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Irving has native American ancestry and burning sage has been used as a ritual among native Americans for centuries as a part of cleansing a person or a space of negative energies to promote healing and wisdom.<\/p>\n
The pre-game ritual comes after a pre-season that has seen Irving in the news for dodging the NBA's media commitments, before being fined $25,000 by the league.<\/p>\n
Irving finally made his media return last week and explained why he declined to talk to reporters during Nets' media day.<\/p>\n
"It's really just about how I felt about the mistreatment of certain artists when we get to a certain platform of when we make decisions within our lives to have full control and ownership," he said.<\/p>\n
"We want to perform in a secure and protected space."<\/p>\n
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However, NBA legend Charles Barkley did not buy Irving's explanation, slamming the star point guard.<\/p>\n
"I'm not sure what point Kyrie is trying to make," Barkley said. "And when he talks, I'm like, 'What the hell is he trying \u2014 what is he saying or what is he trying to say?' He starts talking about what an artist is. He's a basketball player. That's what he is.<\/p>\n
"Listen, we're not frontline responders. We're not teachers. Yo, man, you dribble a basketball, stop acting like you're the smartest person in the world."<\/p>\n
"Now can you talk about social issues and things like that? Of course. But some of this other stuff I'm like 'Yo man, you do realize you're just a basketball player, right?' And it seems like he's like, 'No, I want you guys to realize I'm the smartest guy in the room.'<\/p>\n
"I'm like, 'Well first of all, you're not. You only went to college for six months. A lot of guys are smarter than you are. Just answer stupid basketball questions. And if you want to say something about social justice, say it and mean it, because it's important and significant. But all that other stuff? Like, yo man, shut the hell up and talk basketball.'"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"