Kyrie Irving leaves Nets group chat after fake news of forming new league spreads: Report

Ever since the NBA restart has been announced, Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has been reported to be against the decision. The player has since conducted a conference call with over eighty NBA players to discuss the NBA restart and the reason behind opting out should they wish to. As per reports, Irving was also urging players to stay out of games so they could form and play in their own league.

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Irving leaves group chat after the Kyrie Irving new league idea gets leaked

In a recent chat group with Nets players, Kyrie Irving lobbied for skipping the bubble, the Daily News has learned. In that chat, he also proposed that the players can start their own league, according to a source. https://t.co/SqC0wcccPJ

— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN)

As per reports, Irving reportedly left the group chat he was in with his teammates after a report about him suggesting the start of a new league was written. As per Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks, Irving never mentioned that the Nets should start their own basketball league as a response to the 'bubble'. Irving apparently left the group after the wrong news was reported.

New York Daily News' Stefan Bondy reported that Irving 'lobbied' his teammates to sit out of the NBA's 22-team restart in Orlando, Florida after which he suggested that players could separate from the NBA and form their own league. Bondy further explained that Irving has suggested that his teammates could start their own league, but not necessarily 'in response to the bubble situation'.

After Bondy's first report, Nets player Theo Pinson referred to the idea of Irving suggesting to create their own league as 'FAKE news'. 

This is FAKE news! Just stop! https://t.co/hm8pmkgM8v

— Theo pinson (@tpinsonn)

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As per reports, Irving has been one of the leading voices in the NBA who has been against the NBA return amid the ongoing protests and the COVID-19 crisis in the country. Irving, along with players like Carmelo Anthony, Donovan Mitchell, Dwight Howard and Avery Bradley have raised concerns that restarting the season will prove to be a distraction and take away the attention from George Floyd's murder while in police custody on May 25. As per Adrian Wojnarowski and Malika Andrews of ESPN, Avery Bradley was among the players who agreed with Irving and discussed both the health-related and social concerns revolving around NBA's restart at the Walt Disney World. The conference calls were reportedly held so players who were against the return on July 30 would be given a platform to speak. 

Also read | Brooklyn Nets Kyrie Irving, Carmelo Anthony, Donovan Mitchell among players against NBA restart: Kyrie Irving new league

NBA's statement on issues concerning racism and protests

NBA has informed all 30 teams of this entering 2019-20 resumption: "A central goal of our season restart will be to utilize the NBA's platform to bring attention and sustained action to issues of social injustice..." pic.twitter.com/qfrRms88Hi

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania)

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(Image source: AP)