FILE – Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets takes a looks on against the Milwaukee Bucks during their game at Barclays Center on January 18, 2020 in New York City. Al Bello/Getty Images/AFP
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving said he wants the money the NBA fined him for his refusal to speak to the media to help “marginalized communities” and implied he doesn’t plan to talk to reporters anytime soon.
“I do not talk to Pawns,” he wrote Friday on Instagram. “My attention is worth more.”
The NBA fined Irving and the Nets $25,000 each on Thursday for violating the league’s media rules.
“I pray we utilize the ‘fine money’ for the marginalized communities in need, especially seeing where our world is presently,” Irving wrote.
“I am here for Peace, Love, and Greatness,” he continued. “So stop distracting me and my team, and appreciate the Art. We move different over here.”
Irving, 28, has refused media requests for interviews since training camp started on Dec. 1, instead choosing to issue a statement, which the NBA determined violated the policy.
“Instead of speaking to the media today, I am issuing this statement to ensure that my message is properly conveyed,” Irving’s statement said, in part. “I am committed to show up to work every day, ready to have fun, compete, perform, and win championships alongside my teammates and colleagues in the Nets organization.”
Irving arrived in Brooklyn last year when he signed a four-year, $141 million deal. He played just 20 games before a shoulder injury ended his 2019-20 season.
The Nets are scheduled to open the preseason on Sunday against the Washington Wizards.