Kyrie Irving was back at TD Garden for the first time on Friday night since leaving Boston in 2019. As the Nets prepared to face off against the Celtics, Irving, who does not “talk to pawns,” engaged in his own unique pre-game ritual by burning what appears to be sage around the court.
For those confused, burning sage is a long held ritual undertaken to cleanse a space of negative energy and bad spirits. While sage burning has been fashionable among the goop-obsessed wellness crowd, this is the first time I’ve seen a player do it on an NBA court.
Plus, it’s not even his own home court, but Boston’s. Irving really went into someone else’s house and burned sage, which is not only a Gwyneth Paltrow level flex, but tells you everything about his relationship with Boston.
Kyrie Irving makes his return to TD Garden.
Coverage of #Celtics-Nets begins at 7:30 p.m. on @NBCSBoston with Celtics Pregame Live! pic.twitter.com/7P82E6EqO9
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) December 18, 2020
Of course, fans had a blast with it.
Felt like it was kinda weird watching Kyrie burn sage in silence, so I set the mood a little bit. pic.twitter.com/YCnk6d88YZ
— Joe Ali (@mrkangaroopkts) December 18, 2020
