NBA games are intense affairs, with many staying locked in for the entirety of the 48 minutes but after garnering enough experience in the league, players figure out a way to manage their time and get rests in between. Rotations are often set for long stretches, so players know when they have time on the bench to recharge before going back in.
However, in some situations, including one-off possessions at the end of quarters, players sometimes have to go into the game at short notice and something similar happened to Kyrie Irving during the Brooklyn Nets game against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.
Irving was eating on the bench after coming back from the locker room when Steve Nash called him to enter the game for a play. It created quite a funny moment as Irving was enjoying his fruit cup quite a bit when he realized that he had to be on the court.
The unexpected situation drew many laughs from fans of teams across the NBA, with many pointing out in the comments that Kyrie seemed to be enjoying his fruit cup.
“The way he took that last bite before he ran off reminds me of when your lunch break over and it’s time to clock back in at work.”
“Kyrie came back to the bench to an empty cup next to Ben Simmons with a guilty look in his eyes.”
“My man was in his own world deep in that fruit cup .”
“KYRIE WAS LIKE ‘OH SH*T, I GOTTA GO’ .”
“Gotta eat your fruits and stay healthy even on the bench!”
“Brother was fasting for Ramadan; game started just as the sun was going down so he couldn’t eat or drink before.”
“I too hate when I get called on mid fruit cup.”
“The way he eats 1 tiny piece of fruit at a time is hilarious.”
“Ben could have went in for him.”
“When you enjoying yo fruit cup and yo mom call you soon as you sit down ☠️.”
As some fans pointed out, Kyrie was possibly breaking his fast for the holy month of Ramadan. He has shown how strong his faith is by breaking his fast as soon as the sun goes down. This month is a very sacred time and requires great sacrifice in terms of fasting for much of the day, which makes Irving’s commitment to following it worthy of great respect.
It was a harmlessly funny moment though, and it’s no surprise that fans picked up on it. Irving has been in the news for many controversial reasons this season, so this wholesome content from the man who has arguably the most exciting game in the league is long overdue and most welcome.
