Kyrie fined $50K for protocol violation after attending party
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has been fined $50,000 for violating the NBA's health and safety protocols after videos surfaced showing him at a recent private indoor party, the league announced Friday.
Irving is undergoing a mandatory five-day quarantine period before he can return to team activities, and he's forfeiting salary for missed games.
His quarantine has already sidelined him for two contests: Tuesday's matchup against the Denver Nuggets and Wednesday's game against the New York Knicks. As a result, he'll forfeit $816,898 in salary, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks.
Irving was expected to be back for Brooklyn's game Saturday against the Orlando Magic, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported. However, he's since been ruled out as he requires a ramping up of basketball activity before he can return, according to ESPN's Malika Andrews.
Both the NBA and the Nets opened an investigation earlier this week after footage emerged showing Irving at what appeared to be a party for his sister, Asia. None of the guests in the video are seen wearing masks, including Irving.
Well, this is unfortunate. Here’s another video of Kyrie Irving at a birthday party with his sister, Asia Irving. pic.twitter.com/zTPbf5ZIxU
— Alec Sturm (@Alec_Sturm) January 12, 2021
At the time, the Nets guard had missed multiple games for personal reasons.
Brooklyn's general manager Sean Marks said Thursday he had recently spoken with the 28-year-old, who told the executive he's excited about returning to the lineup as soon as possible.
The Nets completed a blockbuster trade for star guard James Harden during Irving's absence, which Marks said had "nothing to do" with the 2011 No. 1 pick being out.