The Dallas Mavericks have been floundering ever since trading for Kyrie Irving, even though it was a move that led many to tab them as a dark horse title contender.
They lost their fourth game in a row on Sunday and their second straight to the Charlotte Hornets, one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference, and there was a noteworthy moment that occurred early in the third quarter of Sunday’s contest in North Carolina.
Irving brought attention to a fan in the stands, who was subsequently ejected from the arena by security personnel.
Kyrie Irving gets a Hornets fan ejected 😳 pic.twitter.com/9zXDk63dA7
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) March 26, 2023
It was unclear what precipitated the ejection, although perhaps the fan was attempting to heckle Irving.
The star guard is certainly one of the most polarizing figures in sports, as his stances on certain political issues, including COVID-19 vaccines, have ruffled some features.
Several years ago, he opined that perhaps the earth is flat, and early this season he created controversy when he promoted a documentary that contains antisemitic material.
However, despite his off-the-court antics and the Mavs’ struggles since acquiring him, there is no doubt he’s a prime-time player.
Irving is averaging 27.0 points and 5.9 assists per game while shooting 49.5 percent overall and 38.7 percent from 3-point range since arriving in Dallas.
As recently as a week or two ago, it looked like the team was going to avoid the play-in tournament, but now it appears there is a chance it may miss the play-in tourney, as it has fallen to 11th place in the Western Conference.
Fortunately, the Mavs do have a somewhat manageable schedule remaining.
