Kyrie Hopes For No ‘Subtle Racism’ in His Return to Boston

Kyrie is returning to Boston, and he had some thoughts on his big return. After the Nets took a 2-0 series lead over the Celtics on Tuesday, Brooklyn All-Star guard Kyrie Irving thought about the reception that he would receive from the TD Garden crowd when his team travels to Boston. Asked whether he had ever had racist comments hurled towards him while in TD Garden, Irving said that he “was not the only one that can attest to this” and shrugged his hands.

Kyrie explained:

“I am just looking forward to competing with my teammates and hopefully, we can just keep it strictly basketball; there’s no belligerence or racism going on — subtle racism,” Irving said. “People yelling s— from the crowd, but even if it is, it’s part of the nature of the game and we’re just going to focus on what we can control.”

Kyrie on returning to TD Garden for Game 3: "Hopefully we can just keep it strictly basketball, there's not belligerence or racism going on. Subtle racism… I'm not the only one who can attest to this… The whole world knows it." pic.twitter.com/WUYYqXsNbU

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 26, 2021

“It is what it is,” Irving said Tuesday. But a person out of view of the camera on Irving’s videoconference with reporters said: “The whole world knows it.” And Irving echoed, “The whole world knows it.”

Kyrie Irving discusses returning to Boston for the first time in front of a crowd since his departure from the Celtics:

"Hopefully we can just keep it strictly basketball. There's no belligerence or any racism going on, subtle racism or people yelling s— from the crowd" pic.twitter.com/Cm4jk0ZDOQ

— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) May 26, 2021

[sportsbookaffiliates]

Very interesting time to make these comments.

I would have thought this woulda been mentioned two years ago when he left.

Kyrie is really a Grade A Drama Queen.

Welcome to the game outside the game! Follow us on our Sideaction Twitter handle, Instagram, and Facebook for the latest on sports and pop culture news across the web!