Kyrie Irving has taken multiple leaves of absence from the Brooklyn Nets and they have all been for personal reasons and family matters. Kyrie is a spiritual person and he also takes his mental health seriously. As a result, when mental health conflicts with basketball, he puts himself first and many media members seem to have an issue with that.
Recently, it was revealed that Kyrie would be taking tonight off for "personal reasons" which didn't sit right with Stephen A. Smith who took to First Take with some harsh criticisms for Kyrie. Fans eventually noted that Irving was missing the game due to Ramadan which prompted Smith to apologize. Regardless, he still wants Kyrie to be on the court, doing what he does best.
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"For the record, I just became aware of Kyrie’s situation — which is his position. Today’s miss is one thing, but the other two times he was quoted as saying he “needed a break!” He played just 20 games last season and had 9 months off. Damn! Don’t we want to see the brotha play?" Smith wrote.
Despite Irving's absences, the Nets remain one of the best teams in the NBA and once the playoffs come around, there is no doubt that Kyrie will be available to play on a nightly basis. During this pandemic season, it's clear that the regular season has become a delaying of the inevitable.