Kyrie saying he hopes there won't be racist abuse from Boston fans

[Ogaju]

I said earlier in the thread the best thing for the Celtics to do is issue a "Next question!" comment when asked about this.

Instead we have comments from Brad, Smart, Thompson that are feeding the troll. Really dumb move of anyone associated with the team to make in responding to Kyrie.

Amazing that a billion dollar business did not organize a response strategy to this buzz saw.

[Ogaju]

Who is in charge in TD Garden..the organizations response to the race-baiting Kyrie/KD has been absent. Heads should roll.

[Tr1boy]

Who is in charge in TD Garden..the organizations response to the race-baiting Kyrie/KD has been absent. Heads should roll.

Falls under the president or owner

[ozgod]

https://twitter.com/GwashburnGlobe/status/1398310987237822470?s=20

Tristan Thompson said he has heard racist comments from #Celtics fans while at TD Garden while with the #Cavaliers

Honestly, what the f- is going on here? Kyrie thoroughly destroyed the Cs and created a firestorm over an incident he only said he hoped wouldn't happen.

Tbh that was not the meat of the message.  Washburn what are you doing... where is the other part?

This was the the other part of Thompson message. Praising the fans also

https://twitter.com/RochieWBZ/status/1398314040527626258?s=20

Here's the whole thing that Tristan said.

(Have you heard anything racial at the Garden during your time as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers with Kyrie Irving?)

“Why did I think I was going to get this question asked to me? Um, yeah, of course, definitely. I mean, I think that’s what makes Boston fans special, not the racism part, but the part that they’re very into the game and they want to be the sixth man on the court with how they can get under our skin and taunt us and try to do that. I’ve definitely heard guys say some crazy stuff, but I think that they’re just trying to do that to try into the player’s head and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. At the end of the day, my experience, personally, being a Celtic, nobody has said anything racial to me as a player. As a visitor, it’s a different story. But I mean, if they choose to use those kind of words to get a player’s attention, that comes from their home training and the lack of home training, as my mom would say. So for us, me being a Celtic now, they’ve been great, they’ve embraced me with open arms and supported me. So hopefully they can be loud tonight and be a huge for us in the crowd tonight.”

(Having experienced racial abuse as a visitor before at the Garden, is that something that needs to be addressed more seriously by the team and the league?) “Was that an anomaly in Boston or is that something you have experienced traveling throughout the league?)

There’s certain cities you can expect some racial slurs will be used around the third quarter when someone has enough beers, and they know they’re far enough away from us where they know we can’t do nothing to them. Of course, the fans are very important to us in this league, and we appreciate them and their support every night. But there’s a fine line of when it becomes too much - when you start using racial slurs or talking about someone’s kids. Then you’re going too far, past that line. The league’s doing everything they can. The arena gives all the rules and regulations. You saw in Philly and Utah, and even New York, the fans crossing that line. For that they got their season tickets revoked. There should probably also be like a fine, a criminal fine, because if you spit on someone going down the street - don’t you get fined or arrested or something, some s— like that? If you spit on people in the arena and can’t on the street, it should be the same protocol. I dare a m——— to spit on me. I’ll follow you right to your house.”

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2021/05/everything-tristan-thompson-said-responding-to-kyrie-irvings-comments-about-experiencing-racism-at-td-garden.html

[jambr380]

I said earlier in the thread the best thing for the Celtics to do is issue a "Next question!" comment when asked about this.

Instead we have comments from Brad, Smart, Thompson that are feeding the troll. Really dumb move of anyone associated with the team to make in responding to Kyrie.

This is insane. I made what I thought was a pretty harmless post on reddit about how it sucks that Boston is being made the hub of racism and that I find it unimaginable that people would not speak out to fans yelling racial slurs in a crowd, and I am now #1 racist over there. To the point where my post was removed by the moderator for getting downvoted/argued with over there.

This is where we're at. I don't even live in Boston and, being gay, I try to be super-sensitive to discrimination of all minority groups. I guess I just have my head up my ass, but I just don't think it's a Boston-only problem. People everywhere need to be better. Kyrie really did a number on Boston.

[Ogaju]

Remember when he burned sage in TD Garden?

That was so disrespectful

[Goldstar88]

I said earlier in the thread the best thing for the Celtics to do is issue a "Next question!" comment when asked about this.

Instead we have comments from Brad, Smart, Thompson that are feeding the troll. Really dumb move of anyone associated with the team to make in responding to Kyrie.

This is insane. I made what I thought was a pretty harmless post on reddit about how it sucks that Boston is being made the hub of racism and that I find it unimaginable that people would not speak out to fans yelling racial slurs in a crowd, and I am now #1 racist over there. To the point where my post was removed by the moderator for getting downvoted/argued with over there.

This is where we're at. I don't even live in Boston and, being gay, I try to be super-sensitive to discrimination of all minority groups. I guess I just have my head up my ass, but I just don't think it's a Boston-only problem. People everywhere need to be better. Kyrie really did continues to do a number on Boston.

100% agree. Did you see the comments that people were saying to Ja Morants parents at the game in Utah the other day? No ones really talking about that...


In an interview with ESPN, Tee Morant explained that his family experienced despicable racism while watching his son play. At one point a fan told him “I’ll put a nickel in your back and watch you dance, boy,” while another made sexually explicit remarks to Jamie Morant, Ja’s mother, while also saying “Shut the f*** up, b****.”

Tee detailed how he understands trash talk, he’s been around basketball for years — but that these remarks clearly crossed the line. Tee did say that a lot of the well intentioned fans around the Morant family, many of whom were having a fun back-and-forth with the family throughout the game, stood up for them when approached by the racist fans, even notifying security about the incident.

Three fans yelling despicable, racist remarks at the Morant family is certainly horrible — but the Jazz’s tepid response failed to address the issue, almost as if they were trying to sweep the incident under the rug.



https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sbnation.com/platform/amp/nba/2021/5/28/22458263/ja-morant-family-racism-utah-nba-playoffs

[Roy H.]

I said earlier in the thread the best thing for the Celtics to do is issue a "Next question!" comment when asked about this.

Instead we have comments from Brad, Smart, Thompson that are feeding the troll. Really dumb move of anyone associated with the team to make in responding to Kyrie.

This is insane. I made what I thought was a pretty harmless post on reddit about how it sucks that Boston is being made the hub of racism and that I find it unimaginable that people would not speak out to fans yelling racial slurs in a crowd, and I am now #1 racist over there. To the point where my post was removed by the moderator for getting downvoted/argued with over there.

This is where we're at. I don't even live in Boston and, being gay, I try to be super-sensitive to discrimination of all minority groups. I guess I just have my head up my ass, but I just don't think it's a Boston-only problem. People everywhere need to be better. Kyrie really did a number on Boston.

I don't get it, either.  The players, media, organization and half of the fans are basically completely surrendering to a false narrative.

But, I guess that's just a microcosm of what happened last summer, when the majority of the country bought into the BLM narrative without challenging it at all.

[colincb]

Remember when he burned sage in TD Garden?

That was so disrespectful

Anything for attention.

[blink]

Wow, how did the Celtics organization let this get so out of hand?  This is turning into a giant distraction - snowball going into the rest of these playoff games and the offseason.  Ownership / management needs to do something.

[ozgod]

Wow, how did the Celtics organization let this get so out of hand?  This is turning into a giant distraction - snowball going into the rest of these playoff games and the offseason.  Ownership / management needs to do something.

Kyrie put them in a difficult position. They had to address it somehow, and no matter how they addressed it they would have p---ed someone off, either the people convinced that Boston is a racist city or the people who are convinced that it isn't. As Nick said they could have gone "no comment" but they would have kept being asked, and their whole "no comment" would have become a narrative in itself (e.g. "Brad Stevens gave a terse "no comment" when asked about whether he had heard racist remarks made at the TD Garden").

Kyrie's goal was to sow some discord while attempting to minimize the shade thrown his way, and to give him a ready made "I told you so" if his comments provoke some drunken buffoons to call him racial epithets tonight.

[Ogaju]

Wow, how did the Celtics organization let this get so out of hand?  This is turning into a giant distraction - snowball going into the rest of these playoff games and the offseason.  Ownership / management needs to do something.

Kyrie put them in a difficult position. They had to address it somehow, and no matter how they addressed it they would have p---ed someone off, either the people convinced that Boston is a racist city or the people who are convinced that it isn't. As Nick said they could have gone "no comment" but they would have kept being asked, and their whole "no comment" would have become a narrative in itself (e.g. "Brad Stevens gave a terse "no comment" when asked about whether he had heard racist remarks made at the TD Garden").

Kyrie's goal was to sow some discord while attempting to minimize the shade thrown his way, and to give him a ready made "I told you so" if his comments provoke some drunken buffoons to call him racial epithets tonight.

I disagree..I mentioned this was a problem very soon after the clip was mentioned. There are professionals that deal with issues like this. They should have put a rapid response team on this right away. The Cs have been very pedestrian lately. Kyrie has taken on this great organization and he is winning.

[Ogaju]

Danny gettin creamed on NBA countdown.

This is so big, Boston Mayor should say something.

[Roy H.]

SAS has defended the fans more than anybody in the organization.

[CelticsBR]

https://twitter.com/KeithSmithNBA/status/1398420144079114246

I like Brown's answers a lot. He is totally right. It deserves attention, it can't be ignored. Racism is much more than racial slurs.

But turning it in a game matter may even turn against the cause it highlights.