Report: Kyrie Irving Was 'Irked' Younger Celtics Went out in Miami After 2 A.M.
June 28, 2019
Kyrie Irving reportedly took issue with the partying habits of some of his Boston Celtics teammates last season.
Per ESPN.com's Jackie MacMullan, Irving was particularly "irked" by a late-night trip to the clubs in Miami during a January road trip:
"On Jan. 9, the Celtics blitzed the Indiana Pacers at home, then flew out that night to Miami, arriving at the team hotel after 2 a.m. on Thursday. Boston was set to play the Miami Heat that night, but, team sources said, that didn't stop some of the young players from heading to South Beach, where the clubs stay open well past 5 a.m. It's not uncommon for NBA players to go out when they're on the road, but Irving was irked teammates decided to do it in the middle of back-to-back games."
MacMullan added the Celtics are "puzzled" how Irving became "so disenchanted" with them in such a short period of time. He also told them after the season he was "not interested" in signing 100 basketballs for their charitable partners that everyone else on the team autographed.
It seems apparent the divorce between Irving and Boston has already been finalized, even though free agency has yet to begin.
ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Celtics have made signing Kemba Walker their top priority this offseason and intend to offer him a four-year max worth $141 million.
Irving has been heavily linked to the Brooklyn Nets in recent weeks, and Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald reported the six-time All-Star is prepared to sign there.
Just 10 months after telling Celtics season-ticket holders he planned to re-sign if they would have him back, Irving could be ready to play for his third different team in the past four seasons. He was previously dealt to Boston in August 2017 after requesting a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers.