Kyrie Irving 'Pinching' Himself After Being Cleared to Play Nets Home Games

Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving didn't contain his excitement when asked about being cleared to play home games at Barclays Center.

"Please take my comment seriously when I say I've been pinching myself since Wednesday and Thursday because there was a time where I got my hopes really, really high and all the air just got let out," Irving said Saturday at the team's shootaround, per ESPN's Andrew Lopez.

"I didn't want to get too excited. Still tonight, I'm trying to stay focused on this game. But I know tomorrow will eventually come and I'm looking forward to playing back in Brooklyn."

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday that a mandate that prevented athletes who are unvaccinated against COVID-19 from playing home games in town had been lifted. Irving, who falls into that category, didn't debut this campaign until Jan. 5 and hasn't played at Barclays Center all season.

The 38-35 Nets are eighth in the Eastern Conference, which would put them in the play-in tournament.

Brooklyn will visit the Miami Heat at 8 p.m. ET Saturday. Irving will then make his home debut versus the Charlotte Hornets at 7:30 p.m. ET Sunday. Six of the Nets' nine remaining regular-season games are at home.

The seven-time All-Star is averaging 28.5 points, 5.5 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game. He followed a 60-point performance at the Orlando Magic on March 15 with 43 points against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.