>> I mean, it's not my first time being an opponent in Boston.
>> This is Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving. >> I promise you, you
think I'm playing? I swear to God. >> We were actually kinda
having fun, to be honest. >> Cuz you see, racist fans
>> I just told him like to sit out on your knees, bro.
>> The man whose wife in the stands told me to get in on my knees like you used to.
>> And then it turned into not safe for work. >> Like Shane Kiesel, a big supporter of Donald
Trump continue their bigotry. >> Bro, I've been
calling. >> Is that right?
>> Yeah, and it's crazy because this happened to me on a few occasions.
>> Demarcus Boogie Cousins was called the N word by a Celtics fan who was banned by the
team not for life, but for two years. >> And I'm just looking forward to
competing with my teammates and hopefully we could just keep it strictly basketball.
There's no belligerents or any racism going on, subtle racism and people yelling from the crowd.
But even if it is, it's part of the nature of the game and we're just
gonna focus on what we can control >> So Kyrie simply as fans not to
be racist. Apparently this is controversial
>> If you take Kyrie Irving brain and put it in the bird right now guess what that bird
is going to do? It's gonna flop back. >> Former Celtic Kendrick Perkins has
despised Kyrie for a while now and with Irving asking fans to exclude racism,
Perkins was applauded by none other than Fox News.
He said it's always extra with Kyrie I don't even know why we're surprised by this comment.
Just think about it in New York the other night fans were chanting F Trae Young.
That doesn't mean that they're racist, that's just they're ruthless. They're just cheering
on their team. But do we expect anything less than Kyrie to be extra about something?
So Perkins is using an example of a swear word being used not by for example,
Marcus Smart who is arguably the heart and soul of the Boston Celtics. In the Players
Tribune published October 19 of 2020, Smart wrote I saw a white woman with her five or six year old
son crossing against the light right as the cars we're starting to come at them outside TV garden.
Smart sensing danger told her politely she needed to hurry.
The woman was wearing an Isaiah Thomas number four Celtics jersey and there were
all these other Cs fans around who we're at the game, I figured she'd be cool, Smart wrote. Nope,
she swung her head around and it was FU you effing N word.
For a second, ot was like I couldn't breathe. Did she really say that? And in an instant, just like
that I was made to feel less than human. I think about that night that moment a lot and more than
anything else I think about that little boy. My bad, was Marcus Smart just being extra perk?
Or is it that you would think Celtics fans are invincible from criticism
because you played eight years with the team. >> Isn't something you've experienced in Boston
before? >>
I'm not the only one that could attest this. >> Again, how is this controversial? As NBC
Sports Boston wrote Irving isn't the first athlete to speak out on Boston fans making racist remarks.
Adam Jones and outfielder for the Orioles brought the issue to the forefront in 2017.
Former MLB outfielder Torii Hunter also said he experienced racism that led him
to including a no-trade clause to Boston. Fans can say stuff about a man's family,
wife and kids. Tell a player get, down on your knees like you used to.
As men, what do you expect us to do shut up and dribble?
No one is held accountable for their actions except for us.
Fans are protected in every way possible, but not us, wrote Patrick Patterson. The world knows
about other racist incidents in Boston directed at NBA players wrote the athletics Jay King.
Bill Russell dealt with some deplorable behavior during his
team at the organization in the 50s and 60s, the history of anti-black racism continued far
more recently. Irving has stood up against racism before after George Floyd was killed
by police. Irving bought Floyd's family, a house according to former NBA player, Stephen Jackson.
When the NBA was deciding whether to come back from a hiatus last year, amid
serious racial tension in the country. Irving reportedly told players around the league,
he preferred to cancel the rest of the season so we can work on
the front lines to oppose systemic racism. Irving does a lot of good behind the scenes,
including all the help he has provided to his former high school in New Jersey.