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Nets’ Kyrie Irving to continue sitting out on Friday

Kyrie Irving shocked the basketball world on Thursday night when he was ruled out less than two hours before tip-off against the Philadelphia 76ers without suffering any injuries or dealing with any type of illness.

“Personal reasons” was the explanation the Brooklyn Nets offered the media for Irving’s absence on Thursday. When Nets head coach Steve Nash was asked about it, he hardly knew what to say.

“I can’t really comment because I haven’t spoken to him and it’s personal reasons,” Nash told the media during his routine pregame press conference before tipping off against the Sixers on Thursday.

Fair enough. Throughout the night, as Irving’s absence remained a mystery, several reporters hinted at reasons as to why Irving missed Thursday’s game. Brandon Robinson of Heavy.com reported that Irving simply did not feel up for playing. Jason Dumas of KRON4 News cited Wednesday’s riots at the Nation’s Capitol as a reason for Irving’s absence.

While Kyrie Irving himself never made a public comment, and the Nets keep everything related to the situation internal, the truth behind Irving’s absence on Thursday night remains unknown.

One thing we do know, however, is that Kyrie’s mysterious hiatus doesn’t end here. As the Nets had a flight scheduled for after their win over the Sixers on Thursday, Kyrie Irving made his team aware that he would not report. Therefore, the veteran guard doesn’t intend on playing against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.

When will Kyrie Irving take the court for the Nets again this season? My guess is as good as anybody else’s, who is outside of the organization. As Irving remains mostly silent off the court this season, the All-Star guard hasn’t offered any details on his situation — and that likely won’t change.