Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving blames racism for post-game bottle heckle

Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving was attacked with a bottle thrown from the stands in TD Garden on Tuesday after a 39 point contribution, which helped the team secure a 3-1 lead in the NBA playoff series.

After the near-miss, Irving –along with teammate Tyler Johnson–pointed towards the crowd after which law enforcement officials gathered around the suspect, who was wearing a Kevin Garnett jersey, before escorting him out in handcuffs.

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A person was arrested by Boston police officials after the incident “for throwing an object”, according to a TD Garden spokesperson.

As seen in a video posted by ESPN on Twitter, Irwin was seen stomping on the Boston Celtics’ logo after the game. 

However, Irving claims that the reason for the attack was “underlying racism and treating people like they are in a human zoo”, reported CBS News.

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Irving played with the Celtics for around two years and recently said he was a victim of racist behaviour while he was in the city.

His statement added, “You see people just feel very entitled out here. … As a Black man playing in the NBA, dealing with a lot of this stuff, it’s fairly difficult. You never know what’s going to happen”, reported CBS News.

The game between Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics ended with the former securing a win. The game ended at a score of 141-126.