Kyrie Irving may "move differently," but he's not above the NBA rulebook.
The Brooklyn Nets guard addressed reporters Monday for the first time this preseason, less than two weeks after skipping the team's Media Week and implying in a statement that he wouldn't be speaking to the media during the 2020-21 campaign.
Irving used the session in part to address a recent Instagram story in which he wrote, "I do not talk to Pawns. My attention is worth more." The veteran guard insisted he wasn't calling out the media with that remark.
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Irving also lamented his unintentional snub of new Brooklyn head coach Steve Nash during an appearance on Kevin Durant's podcast earlier this year.
Irving didn't talk to reporters Sunday night after the Nets' preseason opener against the Washington Wizards, during which he dropped 18 points in 18 minutes.
But after he and his team were fined $25,000 last week for ghosting the media, the former Boston Celtics guard finally relented Monday.
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Irving didn't say anything particularly controversial in Monday's session, and there's no reason why he and the media can't co-exist this season.
If all goes well, he'll have plenty of good things to talk about, as Brooklyn should be one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference as long as he and Kevin Durant are healthy.