Kyrie Irving on being the butt of jokes as "Half game" or "Half man": "It doesn't impact me because I'm used to this"

Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving revealed that the jokes aimed by trolls towards him in public spaces for his part-time availability aren't something he allows to affect him. Irving was suspended at the start of the season by Brooklyn due to his refusal to get vaccinated, which made him ineligible to play games in New York due to the state's vaccination mandate.

The franchise wasn't too high on letting the 2016 NBA champion be a part-time player at first, as he was only available for road games. They had to change their stance in late December because of injuries, Covid outbreak and on-court struggles.

Kyrie Irving has been great for the team since his return, but the outside noise surrounding his part-time availability remains. Here's what he had to say to reporters after the Brooklyn Nets-Miami Heat game (via Nets Videos):

"In public spaces, I'm noticing that people like to make jokes about what's going on. Like 'half game' or 'half man' whatever it is. You know my family has to see that stuff, my teammates have to see that stuff. The outside noise creeps in at times, but it doesn't impact me because I'm used to this."

Irving continues:

"I don't play these media games, I don't do this. This is part of my job, this is not what I signed up for in order to be going back and forth answering questions about my personal emotions."

Kyrie Irving has averaged 23.8 points and 5.4 assists per game since his return. He has been shooting a 45/36/91 split and hasn't looked out of shape despite missing almost half the season.

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Kyrie Irving, Nets, lose 11th straight game

Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets are in a tough spot with the All-Star break just around the corner. The New York-based franchise has lost its last 11 games in a row as they continue to deal with the absence of superstar Kevin Durant, Irving's ineligibility to play home games and the recent James Harden trade to the 76ers.

The Nets came close to snapping their losing streak against the Miami Heat in their last game but fell short, losing 115-111. Irving was instrumental in making this a close encounter as he scored 20 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter alone, including 18-straight at one point.

The Brooklyn Nets desperately need reinforcements. They will have new acquisitions Ben Simmons, Andre Drummond and Seth Curry joining them soon, but they will likely take time to get integrated into the Nets' setup. Durant has also been sidelined indefinitely, so Steve Nash's men could take a while to rediscover their mojo again.