Report: Kyrie Set to Return Tonight

16 games into the NBA season, it appears we’re set to enter another new episode in the soap opera that is the Brooklyn Nets. According to several reports and the team itself, indefinitely suspended point guard Kyrie Irving has fulfilled all the conditions for his return and will hit the court for the team’s game tonight against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has officially completed all prerequisites — which included having conversations with several members of the Jewish community — and is cleared to make his return tonight against Memphis Grizzlies, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) November 20, 2022

Irving was suspended for sharing the link to a documentary on social media which used false research and quotes for the purpose of spreading antisemitic stereotypes. Stretching back to last year, when Irving missed out on all the team’s home games for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Brooklyn has gotten very little in the way of playing time from the star point guard, which has impacted their performance and ability to build chemistry. The Nets have gone 5-3 in Irving’s absence, lifting them to a 7-9 record which is still extremely disappointing considering the preseason expectations for the squad.

Here’s a statement from the Brooklyn Nets:

“Kyrie took ownership of his journey and had conversations with several members of the Jewish community. We are pleased that he is going about the process in a meaningful way.”
— Alex Schiffer (@Alex__Schiffer) November 20, 2022

The media has had a field day covering the Nets this year, from Kevin Durant’s trade request to Kyrie’s comments, Steve Nash’s firing and Ben Simmons’ continued inability to find his old all-star form. Irving’s return should take some heat off of Durant, who unloaded on his teammates in a recent interview where he complained about the pressures that come with leading a weak roster. It’s easy to forget, under all the controversy, there’s still an extremely talented group of players here.

Kyrie is back tonight!

In 8 games this season:

— 26.9 PPG
— 5.1 RPG
— 5.1 APG
— 1.4 SPG
— 1.1 BPG
— 45/28/93%

He leads in 4th quarter ppg (9.6) pic.twitter.com/PxWYdAHU9j
— Hoop Muse (@HoopMuse) November 20, 2022

Brooklyn and Memphis play at 7:00 P.M. The Grizzlies won their first meeting of the season, 134-124.