Kyrie Irving is coming back and he’s bringing his masked alter ego with him.
The Boston Celtics point guard announced on Tuesday that he will play in his team’s game against the Brooklyn Nets while wearing a protective mask after a facial fracture he suffered at the hands — well, elbow — of teammate Aron Baynes last week.
Irving missed Boston’s win over the Raptors on Sunday and reports indicated that when he did return, he’d have to wear a protective face mask for a few weeks. Irving told reporters Tuesday morning that his return would be imminent, which means the era of Masked Kyrie is upon us.
Kyrie Irving said he will play in a mask tonight.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) November 14, 2017
Irving has played with a mask before. In 2012, the then-20-year-old Irving broke a bone in his jaw during a hard fall in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Irving returned with a black facemask and had the game of his life, setting a career high 45 points against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
The Phantom of the Opera look didn’t last long, but it made a definite impact. The black was temporary, as the hard clear plastic mask you often see on players takes more time to make. Irving wore a clear mask the rest of the way, including for another 40-point outburst against the Celtics later that season.
Boston.com has a nice recap of Kyrie’s 19 games in the mask, including a quote from Irving fondly recalling playing with the facial protection he’ll get to wear once more.
In his 19 games wearing the mask that season, Irving shot 47.5 percent from the floor, 39.8 percent from three-point range, and averaged 24.5 points per game. Those figures were all significantly higher than his full-season averages: 45.2 percent, 39.1 percent, and 22.5 point per game, respectively. The stretch led to Irving being selected to his first NBA All-Star Game.
“I enjoyed playing in it, just the look of it,” Irving told reporters a season later in 2014, as LeBron James began donning a similar black mask to protect his broken nose. He did, however, note that the mask does impair one’s peripheral vision.
Boston rides a 12-game winning streak into its game against the Nets on Tuesday, and with a matchup looming against the Warriors on Thursday, they might need a vintage Masked Kyrie game to compete against Golden State. It sounds like he’ll be available, so that should be a lot of fun.
