Text / A Zhun
In the playoffs, the series between the Nets and the Celtics was originally predicted to be the most difficult combination to win or lose. Unexpectedly, in the end, the Nets were defeated by the Celtics 4-0. Sweep.
“They’re all tired.”
“Irving is going through a fast, and it’s really not easy.”
In the face of failing to win a single victory in four matches, the two stars in the team, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, are to blame, especially in the second and third games of Irving’s 0-for-8 shooting from the three-point line, the overall shooting rate Only 33.3%, Nets head coach Steve Nash also eased his cheeks, saying that Irving, who is a Muslim, is fasting during Ramadan.
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In fact, during G2, the media on the sidelines captured an impressive scene.
Nets star Kyrie Irving left the bench late in the first quarter and headed to the locker room. Just as everyone wondered if he was injured, he immediately returned to the bench with a fruit bowl in his hand, and the receiver started picking it up. ate the bananas.
In order to prevent cramps during the game, many athletes do eat some bananas before the game. Even if they are hungry during the game, most players will choose to go back to the locker room to eat at halftime, even if they bring the bench. Will stealthily eat, people like Irving who bring food directly into the field to eat are indeed not common.
But in fact, the Nets have long seen such a picture, and it can even be said that such a situation has not been seen frequently during this April.
However, for Irving, who has not eaten for more than 14 hours, calorie supplementation at this time is very necessary. After all, as a Muslim, he must abstain from eating and drinking for a long time during this Ramadan.
It can be said that at this time, he must go into battle with hunger to kill the enemy.
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So, what is Ramadan?
Let me briefly explain here that the so-called Ramadan is a custom in Islam, which takes place in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. During fasting, believers (commonly known as Muslims) will get up before sunrise to eat their first meal of the day and drink a lot of water, because they must refuse all food and drink following sunrise.
Not only is it forbidden to eat and drink during the day, but also smoking and any intimacy is forbidden. It’s just that Muslims will not stop going to work, class or avoid regular and regular labor because of fasting. They believe that by temporarily letting go of worldly desires, they can get closer. Heaven can also improve the heart of compassion through penance.
If you cannot complete the fast for special reasons during the fasting period, you can also start over from the next day. If you fail to complete the task during the fasting month, you can also make up for it following the fasting month, or choose to do good deeds, such as offering free A meal for those in need as compensation for your failure to fast a few days ago.
So, when did Irving become a Muslim?
No vaccinations, absenteeism, middle fingers to fans, perhaps for many, Irving is a man of his own way and elusive. But maybe all these changes are traceable…
“I feel like I’ve grown more mature than my peers since I was a kid.”
“It’s not easy, but you have to accept it.”
“Of course I want my mother to be alive, but you know sometimes it’s hard to beat destiny.”
When he first entered the league, as the No. 1 draft pick, Irving immediately showed his amazing offensive talent on the court, but unlike the arrogance and unruly of many talents, Irving’s attitude in front of the media was quite modest and reserved, and it was impossible to see that he was A 19-year-old young rookie, and when asked why he matured so early, Irving thought it might be because his mother’s death at the age of 4 forced him to learn independence earlier than other children.
But following helping Cleveland win a championship and making great contributions to the playoffs, some of Irving’s actions began to be magnified and interpreted by the media. For example, he and LeBron James began to compare who is more qualified to be the team leader and who is the key. Time to lead the team to victory and so on.
Perhaps fed up with the bloodthirsty and out-of-context media provoking incidents, Irving gradually tore off the label of “good baby” in the past and began to expose his truer self to the media. And this is the beginning of him being considered by the media as a maverick…
“Sometimes, I’m pretty addicted to conspiracy theories.”
“I’m sure many people are like me.”
In 2016, Irving was photographed by the media with a peculiar tattoo pattern on his left arm, a large palm with a triangle in the middle, and an eye in the center of the triangle, so the symbol is considered to be the representative totem of the Illuminati.
The Illuminati is a fairly well-known conspiracy theory group in history. It has placed people in the government and important organizations in the world, planned major events, and attempted to participate in and control the order of the world behind the scenes. Although the Illuminati has always stayed in the category of urban legends, and there is no definite evidence to prove its existence, conspiracy theorists all over the world all highly respect the authenticity of the Illuminati. At this time, Irving has repeatedly declared himself to be a fanatic of conspiracy theories on the media and personal social platforms, so many media speculate that this tattoo may be related to the Illuminati.
But in fact, it was later confirmed that the tattoo on Irving’s left arm was the “hand of Fatima”, which is a very common amulet in West Asia. Fatima is the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. This totem is believed to have the effect of warding off evil. It has the meaning of protection and blessing. Irving stabbed it on his body, which may have the meaning of seeking good luck and avoiding evil, because between his entry into the league and 2016, his body has suffered as many as 13 large and small injuries. But no matter what the reason, at this time, Irving began to have initial contact with Islam.
“I’m sorry for my public assertion that the Earth is flat.”
“I just wanted to discuss this topic, I didn’t expect it to be so publicized by the community.”
“It made me understand some things that may only be ‘in private’.”
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It’s just that although the tattoo is considered to be a misunderstanding, Irving’s external speech is also full of conspiracy theories. The most famous is his flat earth theory. He believes that the earth is round. It’s just an illusion that the government wants people to believe. As soon as the remarks came out, he was immediately criticized, and finally even had to apologize.
Whether it’s a tattoo or a flat-earth, Irving understands that his current All-Star status will definitely attract a lot of media attention, such as his speech at the post-game press conference or his posts on social networking sites, will become the focus of news writing. This understanding has also become the reason why he often uses social media to pay attention to social issues in the future.
But following these events, Irving began to be labelled “weird,” “difficult,” and “lounge bomb,” especially following the Cavaliers’ break with James and later a rift with the young Celtics. , Even if Irving has superior strength, the team must think twice before signing him, weigh their weight, and see if they have the ability to control Irving.
In the end, the Nets decided to sign Irving. Although as long as he still has a certain dominance on the offensive end, there is always a lot of news on the sidelines. First, he opposed the league rematch during the 2020 epidemic. The refusal to administer vaccines, to the unexcused absence of team practice and games, etc., have caused many people to put a question mark on his professional ethics.
“Such a system is rotten!”
“Someone has to make them public!”
But for Irving, there is a statement of his own behind his actions. He uses his public influence to speak for the disadvantaged groups in society. He opposes the rematch because he does not want everyone to divert attention from the black affirmative movement. The refusal to follow-up vaccines is to speak out for those who “will lose their jobs if they don’t get vaccinated”, and the absence of team games is to focus on social events in which the people are taking Congress.
Then, not only did he speak out, but Irving also chose to practice it himself.
“Everything is for the praise of Allah.”
“Some people just love to gossip regarding other people’s beliefs.”
“For me, I believe what I want to believe.”
“As a Muslim, I will also try to follow the teachings of Islam.”
“Committed to respecting and understanding each other of different races, beliefs, and cultures.”
“I think that’s the foundation of everything.”
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Regarding belief, as early as 2018, Irving recognized his ancestors because his mother had Indian Sioux ancestry, and obtained the tribal name “Little Mountain”, and returned to his old club Boston in the 2020 season. When Ertik was a guest, he also lit sage on the sidelines according to custom, hoping to relieve disasters and bring good luck.
Just when many people thought that Irving should follow the beliefs of the tribe, Irving confirmed his Islamic beliefs in an external interview the following year.
Just, why do you say that such a move is a practice on social issues?
“There are many forces dividing us in today’s society.”
“Severe divisions like this have become the norm in society.”
“People like to make things difficult for me with the conflict between Judaism, Christianity, Islam.”
In fact, Irving’s statement of faith this time is a great encouragement to the entire Islamic community in the United States, because following 9/11 and the anti-terrorism war, Muslims have been feared and discriminated once morest by many people in American society. Irving openly stood up Converting to Islam and publicly calling for people not to hate each other because of their different beliefs has also won the approval of many Muslim opinion leaders.
“Due to the intersection of racism and Islamophobia, combined with cultural and historical factors, Muslim youth in the United States have long considered themselves ‘different’ from others.”
“When they see a public figure like Irving openly delighted to embrace Islam, they are more proud of their faith and more willing to express who they are.”
Sajjad Shah, president of the World Muslim Organization, once said that Irving’s actions might inspire more Muslims to be proud of their faith. Because in the U.S., Muslims belonging to minority groups are inevitably excluded because of their religious “others”, and past tensions with Islamic countries have led to them being labeled “dangerous heretics” ” label, under the huge majority of violence, Muslims are also prone to doubt their self-identity, and even feel inferior to their own identity because of the social atmosphere.
Therefore, Irving’s existence is like an indicator figure, because he has many identities such as black, Muslim, Native American, basketball star, etc. Although his speech is always controversial, he dares to challenge the existing Discourse hegemony does have the opportunity to set an example for these minorities.
Perhaps in the eyes of many, this is just a simple statement of conversion, but in the eyes of some it is like a collision with an old ideology.
“As a black Muslim player, I grew up watching Irving play.”
“I like his positive approach to religion.”
“He inspired me not to feel inferior regarding being a Muslim black female basketball player.”
“He let me know that I don’t have to choose between what I love and what I believe in.”
There are countless dribbling highlights on Douyin and YouTube. Jamad Fiin, known as the “female version of Kyrie Irving”, said that he had doubts regarding himself because of his Muslim identity. Because of his compliance with Islamic customs, Fiin has always been using The image of a traditional Muslim woman is shown, and she wears a hijab both on and off the court. It was precisely because of this that she attracted a lot of strange eyes during her growing up, which made her very difficult to let go in the early days, but following seeing her idol bravely face her beliefs, she also regarded her as a Muslim. Rong, and continues to make herself a role model in this field, encouraging more young people like her.
It’s just that although he shows substantial concern for social issues, as a newly converted Muslim, Irving has to face changes in living habits. Facing the arrival of Ramadan, Irving must also face fasting, which is not enough for physical energy consumption. The playoffs, which are even more intense in proportion to the competition, are definitely a test.
Is Irving’s poor performance due to fasting?
“I am participating in this Ramadan with many of my Muslim brothers and sisters.”
“It’s an adjustment for me, and of course fasting is part of it.”
While it’s true that Irving inspired Muslims in America, it’s also true that the Nets were swept away 4-0, and he didn’t perform accordingly. And is this because of fasting?
According to scientific evidence, if you do not eat or drink for a long time in a day like Ramadan, if you engage in high-intensity exercise, your sports performance will definitely be affected (whether it reduces physical fitness or increases the risk of injury), and the original The daily routine is disrupted, and it is not that you can adjust to the best state immediately following the end of Ramadan. (I highly recommend this piece by Zuo Bank’s meditation.Why do we need to understand the impact of Ramadan on football players?“It has a very detailed introduction)
However, there are also many Muslim athletes in the world who have been accustomed to Ramadan because of their childhood, so they may not think it has any impact on their personal perception. For example, Enes Kanter, who has recently changed his name to Freedom, once said that the hunger during this period of time would not only hinder his performance on the court, but would also make him feel at peace. Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon also fasted during Ramadan for his entire 18-year career. Not only did it not affect his performance, he also won Player of the Month that month.
“I would not use Ramadan fasting as an excuse for poor performance.”
“I have to do better, I need to take responsibility.”
However, compared to these predecessors, Irving, who has just converted to Islam, did not adapt to these changes in living habits so quickly. From the time when the Nets assistant coach pointed at his watch to remind him that he might eat, he knew that hunger was related to hunger. Fatigue must have affected Irving’s performance.
“Ramadan is a very special day.”
“It saved my life in some way.”
“I would like to pay tribute to everyone involved in Ramadan because in real life there are things more important than basketball.”
In fact, the Nets’ opponent, the Celtics, also has a fasting cricket star, Jaylen Brown. He also paid tribute to Irving, who shares his beliefs, because he knew how difficult this adjustment was.
Perhaps, we still think Irving is maverick, and he still thinks some of his behaviors are weird and absurd. The author also thinks that he does lose the demeanor of a professional player in his own way, but I believe he will continue to be like this, and still choose to use his own way to implement what you believe is right.
Irving has already made it clear he wants to stay in Brooklyn, and when he’s more comfortable with it next season, can he lead the Nets to a comeback?
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