Irving to miss Nets’ road trip to tend to family matter

The Nets said Monday that Irving would not accompany the team for games Tuesday at Portland, Wednesday at Utah or Friday at Detroit

Kyrie Irving will miss the Brooklyn Nets’ three-game road trip this week while dealing with a family matter.

The Nets said Monday that Irving would not accompany the team for games Tuesday at Portland, Wednesday at Utah or Friday at Detroit.

Brooklyn has already been playing without fellow All-Star Kevin Durant because of a strained left hamstring but has won 15 of its last 17 games.

Irving missed seven games in January after leaving the team for personal reasons. He didn’t specify the reason for that absence, though he did say there was “family and personal stuff” going on.

Just a few weeks before the announcement of his hiatus, Irving renewed his push for the late Kobe Bryant to replace the NBA logo.

Washington Wizards guard Raul Neto defends against Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving (11) as Wizards forward Garrison Mathews (24) looks on during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, March 21, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Irving took to Instagram in February to share a rendering of Bryant in the NBA logo. The current logo is a silhouette of Jerry West, but Irving believes it’s time to replace him with Bryant. He wrote on Instagram, “Gotta Happen, idc what anyone says. BLACK KINGS BUILT THE LEAGUE.”

Irving references the contributions Black players have made to the league, pointing to West, who while an NBA legend, was a white player.

A petition to change the logo has gained a lot of steam on the internet with over 3 million signatures. The late player’s wife, Vanessa Bryant, is also supporting Irving’s request for the logo change. Bryant commented on the Instagram post, writing, “love this.”

West has spoken up in the past about not wanting to be the official logo for the league anymore. On ESPN in 2017, West said, “I wish that it had never gotten out that I’m the logo…I really do. I’ve said it more than once, and it’s flattering if that’s me — and I know it is me — but it is flattering. But to me, I played in a time when they first started to try to market the league.”

He continued to explain, “Again, it’s flattering. But if I were the NBA, I would be embarrassed about it. I really would.”

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