Before he even took the floor against the Boston Celtics on Friday, Kyrie Irving caused many to double. A Brooklyn point guard was seen firing a sage as he walked around the parquet floor at the old home grounds before turning off. After the Nets won 113-89 over the Celitcs, Irving told Michael Grady on YES Network that he did so before Sunday’s win over the Wizards, too. Turns out, the point guard hopes to continue with that ritual moving forward.
“Coming from many indigenous tribes, being able to sage, Just clean the energy, make sure we’re all fair,” Irving said on a Zoom call with reporters after Friday’s game. “When we come into this job, when we come into this place, it’s not something I don’t do at home that I did today. I played the last game, and I plan to salt almost every game if the opposing team lets me.
“But, literally, it’s just more or less for us to stay connected and to feel great about going to work and feeling safe and at ease from our ancestors – I’m not going to take too much of the spirituality into basketball. But yeah it’s part of my indigenous culture and where I come from. ”
Irving and the Nets take the floor again Tuesday as they open their regular season slate against the Golden State Warriors.