Kyrie Irving faced one of the most hostile NBA environments in recent memory yesterday when he and the Brooklyn Nets faced the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden. Irving, who once played for the Celtics, was subjected to a lot of jeering and abuse from Celtic fans. But Irving didn’t just sit back and take it, responding on multiple occasions with gestures to mock the Celtics fanbase.
One moment caught by a Celtics fan on camera has gone viral. During the game, in order to avoid getting caught on camera, Irving responded to the harsh abuse Celtic fans were hurling at him by putting up two middle fingers behind his head. This way, he was able to respond to the fans, but also make sure that the referees and the cameras would miss what he was doing.
Kyrie with the sneaky double middle fingers 💀
— NBA SKITS (@NBA_Skits) April 17, 2022
This was far from the only time when Kyrie flipped Celtic fans the bird. After making a tough shot against the Celtics, Irving ran back up the court while showing fans the middle finger. It was a frustrating evening for Irving, who consistently clapped back at Celtic fans with gestures. One hilarious gesture went viral last night, with many NBA fans noting that Celtic fans would motivate Kyrie to eliminate them.
Irving responded to the abuse he received from Celtic fans after the game, noting that he would not hesitate to respond and match the same energy they were giving him. Charles Barkley responded to Irving’s comments, noting that most fans are amazing, but some fans misbehave a lot and he wouldn’t hesitate to fight them. But Barkley also told Irving to take the hate in his stride and not pay attention to him.
It will be very interesting to see how Irving responds to continued fan abuse during Game 2 on Wednesday.
