Kevin Durant Explains Kyrie Irving-Celtics Feud Is ‘Rooted in Love’

The Nets forward said fans often despise their former players because they once were so invested in that player’s career and success.

Heading into Game 2 of the Nets vs. Celtics series, Kevin Durant was asked about how Boston fans have been treating their former player, Kyrie Irving.

During Game 1 on Sunday, the Boston crowd expressed its feelings for Irving, booing or shouting chants at him. At one point, Irving flipped off a fan in the crowd and cursed at the crowd, which resulted in him earning a $50,000 fine.

Durant said that players deal with this kind of crowd attitude on occasion, especially when it’s against a previous home crowd, and sometimes emotions get the best of the player.

“It’s rooted in love,” Durant said, via The Athletic. “They once loved you, they once cheered for you, bought your merchandise, had life altering experiences coming to games watching you play. So, when it gets ripped from them in a trade… They feel like a piece of them is gone, too.” 

Kevin Durant on Celtics fans’ hostility toward Kyrie Irving: “It’s rooted in love. They once loved you…had life altering experiences coming to games watching you play. So when it gets ripped from them in a trade…it feels like a piece of them is gone too.” pic.twitter.com/P1b6jNnrDq

— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) April 19, 2022

Durant shared that this crowd engagement is all part of the game, that professional players are often used to this kind of behavior. As a player who’s on his third team in his career, Durant knows this feeling well.

“There’s an emotional attachment that they have to professional sports,” Durant said. “You can say that’s a gift and a curse having a team in your city where you grew up. That shows that people care and people have emotions and people really respect and admire who we are as an individual.”

Irving played for the Celtics from 2017 to ’19 seasons, becoming a two-time All-Star during those seasons. The Celtics reached the NBA Conference Finals in the 2017–18 season, losing to Irving’s previous team, the Cavaliers.

The Nets face the Celtics on Wednesday night in Game 2 as the Celtics lead the series 1–0.