Inside The Heat

In A Week Where The Miami Heat Handed Out Turkeys, Kyrie Irving Won't Be Among Players Celebrating Thanksgiving

The once Miami Heat free agent takes a pass on celebrating the holiday

Shandel Richardson

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Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving has been among the most controversial players in the NBA the past two seasons. 

Last year it was his stance against the COVID-19 stance vaccine. Earlier this season, it was his tweet promoting a movie that feature anti-Jewish rhetoric. 

Now, he will likely be in the news for his thoughts on holidays, particularly Thanksgiving. Irving, who was a Miami Heat target during the offseason, was asked in a postgame interview Wednesday how he planned to celebrate the holiday. 

Here was his response: 

"I don’t particularly celebrate Thanksgiving but anybody getting together with their families, blessings to all you guys," Irving said. "Enjoy the holiday, not a holiday for me, but please enjoy the food for me.”

This is nothing new. Irving has always made clear his stance on the subject. In 2018, he told reporters "(Expletive) Thanksgiving" after a game. Irving has Native American roots and his grandmother was part of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Irving's late mother was adopted out of the tribe. 

"They know Kyrie Irving doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving and they know exactly why because he has explained his connection to his Native American heritage and the celebrated slaughter of his people," former NBA player Etan Thomas wrote on Twitter. "The media is being very intentional right now with Kyrie."

It will be interesting to see what controversies Irving has been part of by the time Nets play the Heat Jan. 6 in Miami. The Heat have always been an organization that celebrates the Thanksgiving tradition. Earlier this week, Tyler Herro was among the players to hand out turkeys to underprivileged families in Miami. A few years ago, Bam Adebayo a game in Thanksgiving-themed shoes. 

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here

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