Nets guard Kyrie Irving could return from his suspension for Sunday’s game vs. the Grizzlies, sources told The Athletic’s Sham Charania on Thursday.
Irving is serving a suspension after he promoted an antisemitic film and book on his social media accounts. The suspension was for a minimum of five games, but he has since missed seven games. He will miss his eighth game on Thursday night.
A report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Wednesday said that the guard was “nearing completion” of the internal requirements that the Nets described as “a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct.” Come Thursday, Charania reported that the guard is “expected to be cleared to play” come Sunday.
In Charania’s report on Thursday, sources told him that the Nets and NBA are both “happy” with the progress Irving has made during his suspension, including him meeting with various community leaders. Additionally, one source told The Athletic that Irving went “above and beyond” what the team and league requested of him.
This progress comes after Irving first did not publicly apologize for the harm he caused to various communities. On Nov. 4, he did post an apology on his Instagram page after he was suspended.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver met with Irving last week to discuss the ongoing situation, and Silver spoke optimistically about Irving’s process following “a direct and candid conversation” between the two of them.
Ahead of Thursday night’s game, the Nets are 6–9 on the season, going 4–3 since Irving has been suspended.
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