NEW YORK — By now, most NBA players have spoken to the media.
It's Media Week, after all, and all 30 teams have made their players available to field questions from both local and national reporters.
Nets star point guard Kyrie Irving, however, has opted not to speak to reporters entering training camp. Instead, he issued a statement on Friday, affirming his commitment to win championships — plural — in Brooklyn.
"COVID-19 has impacted us all in many ways, so I pray for the safety and health of our communities domestically and abroad. I am truly excited for the season to start and I am also praying that everyone remains safe and healthy throughout this journey," Irving wrote in the statement. "Instead of speaking to the media today, I am issuing this statement to ensure that my message is conveyed properly:
"I am committed to show up to work everyday, ready to have fun, compete, perform, and win championships alongside my teammates and colleagues in the Nets organization. My goal this season is to let my work on and off the court speak for itself. Life hit differently this year and it requires us, it requires me, to move differently. So, this is the beginning of that change."
Irving averaged 27.4 points, 6.4 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game in Year 1 with the Nets but only played in 20 games before undergoing season-ending surgery on a nagging shoulder impingement. He and his co-star Kevin Durant, according to teammates, look like their old, pre-injury selves and are ready to take the floor this season.
