Tonight the series between the Nets and the Celtics moves as the next two games will be played at TD Garden. A return for Kyrie Irving, the first with a full room since his transfer, and after Game 2
“I just can’t wait to play with my teammates and I hope we can stick strictly to basketball, without hostility or racism… subtle racism. People in the audience shouting bullshit… But even if they do, it’s part of the nature of the game and we’re just going to focus on what we can control. Kyrie Irving
A reporter then asked him if he had ever been the subject of racist comments at TD Garden.
“I’m not the only one who can attest to this. Kyrie Irving
Irving is not the first athlete to bring up this problem. In his autobiography published in 1979, Bill Russell described Boston as ” racism flea market ». In 2017 Adam Jones, center fielder for the Baltimore Orioles, had explained that he had been called a ‘nig **’ on several occasions by fans of the Boston Red Sox.
” It’s like that. Everyone knows it. Kyrie Irving
Danny Ainge, who was drafted by the Celtics in 1981, referred to the statements of his former point guard:
“I think we take this stuff seriously. I’ve never heard anything like that from a player I’ve played with in my 26 years in Boston. I’ve never heard this from Kyrie, and I’ve spoken to her quite often. So I do not know. As far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t matter. We just play basketball. The players can say whatever they want. ” Danny ainge
Marcus Smart has witnessed racist insults against opponents.
“Yes, I’ve heard a few. It’s a little sad and sickening. Even if it’s against the opposing team, do you swing those racist slurs and expect us to play for you? It’s hard.” Marcus Smart
In March 2019 Kyrie Irving, still with the Celtics, had confided that he had not been directly confronted with racism.
“I can only speak for myself as an opposing player and I have never heard anything like it. I can only base myself on the stories I have heard. ” Kyrie
Now with the enemy, Kyrie Irving will inevitably be heckled, but we hope that it remains within the limits.
“We want our fans and our audience to be very respectful of all the players. We are here to play and entertain the public. We just want to be respectful on both sides. We have seen a few incidents with fans since the start of the league playoffs. We don’t want our audience to be like that. We want everyone to be respectful on and off the pitch. ” Marcus Smart
“I love our fans and I think the fans have to behave in a certain way while enjoying the game and cheering on their team. I think that’s what he was referring to. Obviously there will be chants against him, but I think he was just talking about keeping it basketball, which most people should understand. ” Jayson tatum
Via ESPN
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