Kyrie Irving Blames NYC Mayor Eric Adams for Brooklyn Struggles

Kyrie Irving seems to have found stable footing with the Dallas Mavericks organization after years of unrest, but fans in both Boston and Brooklyn still harbor animosity for the star guard.

On Tuesday, Irving and the Mavericks returned to Brooklyn, where the eight-time All-Star spent three-and-a-half seasons playing alongside Kevin Durant. Fans in Brooklyn didn't appreciate how things ended, as evidenced by a court-side interaction between Irving and a fan.

"Why didn't you play like this when you were on the Nets?" a fan yelled. "Why, Ky?"

Irving, who was arguing with an official, turned to the fan briefly.

"Blame [New York City] Mayor [Eric] Adams for that, bro," Irving said.

The fan didn't seem impressed by Irving's explanation.

"Oh, come on," he said.

Newsweek reached out to representatives for Adams by email Wednesday morning requesting comment.

In 2021, as fans returned to NBA arenas, some cities implemented COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Led by Adams, New York City was one, and Irving—who remained unvaccinated—was ineligible to play or practice with the team. Irving was later allowed to play road games outside the New York and Toronto areas, and Adams lifted the city's vaccine mandate in March 2022, allowing Irving to make his debut.

Irving continued to be a part of controversies, however, and contract talks with the Nets broke down. Irving was officially dealt to the Mavericks a year (to the day) before he made his Brooklyn return on Tuesday.

After the game, which the Mavericks won 119-107, Irving said he is "pretty much at peace" with everything that happened in Brooklyn.

"I wish a lot of the guys well, a lot of the people I've gotten a chance to get to know," Irving told reporters. "We have relationships that extend off the basketball court, and that's all I can ask for."

Another reporter asked Irving what he hopes his legacy will be in Brooklyn.

"Honestly, I don't care," Irving said. "That's subjective. Everyone has their own opinion, so let it run its course and hopefully in the next few years, it's done. I know a lot of my peers could say the same—tired of the baggage that comes with playing our former teams, and all this extra emotional conversations and diatribes that come from it. It's part of our game, but at the same time, it's just basketball."

Irving added that he had to "take some moral stances" in Brooklyn.

"There were some political things going on here as well that I couldn't control that I was responsible for," Irving said. "There were some things that I did on my accord that I look back on, and they were mistakes. I have to be accountable for those things. I'm not perfect, but one thing I can say is I've been able to learn from things and continue to push forward. I'm around some good people. And that's all that matters, man, surrounding yourself with some good folk."

The Mavericks are 28-23, good for eighth in the Western Conference. The Nets are 20-30, 11th in the Eastern Conference.