NBA fines Irving $50,000 for health, safety violations

Kyrie Irving's absence from Brooklyn Nets has cost him nearly $1 million.

NBA fined point guard $50,000 on Friday for violating its health and safety protocols, and said he could return to team activities Saturday.

league ded that he would forfeit his salary for each game he misses during a five-day quarantine period that would end Saturday if he continues to test negative for coronavirus. He's alrey missed two, which means he has lost more than $900,000 of his $33.5 million salary.

Irving has missed last five games while away from Nets for personal reasons. He was seen in a video on social media during his absence at an indoor family party while t wearing a mask.

league's protocols prohibit attending indoor social garings of 15 or more people or entering bars, lounges, clubs or similar establishments.

Irving is second player to be fined for that. or is his new teammate, James Harden.

Nets have t explained reasons for Irving's absence, leaving it to him to do when he returns. ir next game is Saturday against Orlando, though coach Steve Nash said Friday he h update about when Irving would rejoin team.

“Without a doubt, organization’s disappointed with t having any one of our players, in this particular case Kyrie, t amongst us, t in trenches with us and so forth,” general manr Sean Marks said Thursday during a news conference to discuss tre for Harden.

“So I don’t want to speculate and say why he’s out and so forth. I've h conversations with him and I’ll continue to have conversations and we look forward to him being back in gym, where he will dress this," he said.

In December, Irving was was fined $25,000 by NBA for t speaking to media during preseason.

Im credits: AP