Stephen A. Smith Clarifies Stance On Kyrie Irving's Absences

Kyrie Irving has taken multiple leaves of absence from the Brooklyn Nets and they have all been for personal reasons and family matters. Kyrie is a spiritual person and he also takes his mental health seriously. As a result, when mental health conflicts with basketball, he puts himself first and many media members seem to have an issue with that.

Recently, it was revealed that Kyrie would be taking tonight off for “personal reasons” which didn’t sit right with Stephen A. Smith who took to First Take with some harsh criticisms for Kyrie. Fans eventually noted that Irving was missing the game due to Ramadan which prompted Smith to apologize. Regardless, he still wants Kyrie to be on the court, doing what he does best.