Kyrie Irving Trade, Minnesota Timberwolves
Feb 1, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) shoots over the defense of Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio (9) during the second half at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs won 125-97. USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze

Boston Celtics star Kyrie Irving has been fined US$25,000 (AU$31,997) for using inappropriate language toward a spectator in the crowd, the NBA announced on Sunday. The incident occurred during Boston's 102-92 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday evening.

At the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Irving lashed out at a fan, who referenced LeBron James while mocking the Celtics guard. In a video that circulated social media, the fan is heard yelling "Kyrie, where's LeBron?" as Boston's player walked down the tunnel to the locker room at halftime. Irving reportedly looked up at the fan before firing back with a profanity-filled tirade.

Irving spoke to the league office on Saturday and subsequently apologised for his behaviour. "Hell no," he said when asked if he regretted the incident. "(The fan was) man enough to record it on video, then that's all him. I'm glad he got his (social media) name out there and then, kind of, five seconds of fame and it going viral. That's the social media platform we live on. I take full responsibility (for) what I said and excuse (to) the kids at home and you move on," Irving told reporters on Sunday.

Kyrie Irving apologises for ‘heat of the moment’ incident

This offseason, the brewing rivalry between Cleveland Cavaliers and the Celtics intensified after the Cavs sent Kyrie Irving to Boston in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, the 2018 Brooklyn Nets first-round pick and another future second-round pick. Irving is viewed as Boston's new franchise player and has promised to lead the franchise to a championship.

Irving added, "At the end of the day, we're human. It's in heat of the moment, and frustrations arises. We were at halftime, we were down by four, in an environment, a season opener in Philly. Being with a young team like we have here and staying composed, handling that before we go in the locker room and addressing what we have to do in the locker room and going out and handling business and getting the W, that's really the only thing that matters to me."

Kyrie Irving is averaging 20.0 points, 5.7 assists and 4.7 rebounds after three games of the 2017-18 NBA season. The Celtics have begun the season 1-2 after All-Star forward Gordon Hayward suffered a season-ending injury during the opening night defeat to the Cavs. Boston is still favoured to meet the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals next year.

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