Will the Nets’ Kyrie Irving play against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night?

It’s been a complicated time for the Nets and their under-fire point guard, but it would appear that’s about to come to an end as he’s now set to make his return to the court after serving a five-game suspension.

Kyrie Irving set to return after offering “deep apologies”

With a 7-9 record, the Brooklyn Nets will likely be happy about the news that Kyrie Irving is set to return to the floor on Sunday when they take on the Memphis Grizzlies. Following a team announcement earlier in the day, we can now confirm that Irving will be on the court having been absent for the last eight games. Fans will of course remember, that Irving was suspended for a minimum of five games after he shared a link to a documentary widely considered to be antisemitic on his social media platforms. Indeed, Irving actually broke his silence on Saturday in an interview where he apologized for what happened.

“I really want to focus on the hurt that I caused or the impact that I made within the Jewish community, putting some type of threat or assumed threat on the Jewish community,” Irving said. “I just want to apologize deeply for all my actions throughout the time that it’s been since the post was first put up. I’ve had a lot of time to think, but my focus initially, if I could do it over, would be to heal and repair a lot of my close relationships with my Jewish relatives, brothers and sisters. My journey is very unique. I grew up in a big melting pot full of different races, cultures and religions of people, so a lot of these conversations about antisemitism or anti-Blackness or anti-whiteness or any anti- that goes against a specific group of people, within my household, we used to talk about it.”

It’s clear that Kyrie Irving regrets his decision

Interestingly, the interview wasn’t the only moment in which Irving addressed the controversy. Speaking on Sunday, Irving gave comment to the media for the first time following the contentious situation and once again reiterated the idea, as he offered “deep apologies” to those affected by his actions. It’s worth noting that alongside his suspension, Irving was given a list of six prerequisites that had to be completed before he could return. As per reports, the former NBA champion has in fact done what was asked of him and that brings us to the present.

Conversely, Irving did allude to a point to consider. Addressing the prerequisites themselves, Irving disclosed that he was not pleased about the manner in which the list of conditions which he was given was made public, in fact he called the move “inappropriate,” before adding that “”it was released in the way that it somehow pinned me in the corner as if I was guilty of something.” Though some might push back on the point, it’s noteworthy that the NBPA expressed its own concern about the proceedings and in turn, worked with the Nets throughout the process to ensure Irving’s rights were in no way violated. With that said, let’s focus on basketball. Kyrie Irving is returning to a team that has lost more than they have won for the season so far. While the controversy he created will surely not have helped, we’re betting it could be easily looked past if he can put his head down and get to work on bringing the team back to winning ways.