Kyrie Irving explains burning sage before Nets' game, plans to do it often this season

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Kyrie Irving was mocked on social media for burning sage at TD Garden before his Brooklyn Nets took on the Boston Celtics in one of the final preseason tune-ups before the regular season begins.

Irving was seen walking down the sideline burning sage. And while it might have looked weird to the uninitiated, it’s part of what the star point guard has gotten into over the last few years. The veteran player addressed why he decided to sage when talking to reporters after the game.

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"It just comes from a lot of native tribes," he said. "Being able to sage, just cleanse the energy, make sure that we're all balanced. When we come into this job, we come into this place, it's not anything that I don't do at home that I did today. I saged last game, and I plan to sage almost every game if the opposing team will allow me to."

"But, literally, it's more or less for us to stay connected and for us to feel great about going to work and feeling safe and provided for from our ancestors. I'm not going to bring too much of the spirituality into basketball, but yeah, it's part of my native culture where I'm from."

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Irving’s mother, Elizabeth, was a member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. Kyrie was welcomed into the tribe in 2018. Native Americans practice the art of "smudging" to "cleanse a person or space, and to promote healing and wisdom," according to WebMD.

Irving’s teammate, Kevin Durant, didn’t appear to have any issues with it.

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"Kyrie probably sages his room before he plays 2K ... That's his thing, and we all respect him," Durant told ESPN after the game.