NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 18: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets in action against the Milwaukee Bucks during their game at Barclays Center on January 18, 2020 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.
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Kyrie Irving will unexpectedly miss Thursday’s game for personal reasons. His return to the Brooklyn Nets is unknown at this time.

Kyrie Irving is away from the Brooklyn Nets for personal reasons according to multiple outlets. This news dropped mere hours before the Nets were set to tip-off against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night.

The reason for Irving’s absence is unclear and even his head coach, Steve Nash, was not able to contact him as of his pregame press conference. According to Joe Vardon of The Athletic, his return to the team is still unknown at this point.

First and foremost, we all hope that everything is OK with Irving. There is no sense in speculating as to what might be keeping Irving away from the team.

However, it’s worth noting that current YES Network analyst and Irving’s former teammate, Richard Jefferson will miss Thursday’s broadcast due to “unforeseen circumstances.”

One thing we know for sure is that the Nets are going to miss Irving dearly. They are already without their alpha dog Kevin Durant due to COVID-19 protocols. Irving and Durant are averaging 27.1 and 28.2 points per game, respectively.

In fact, both stars are putting up those gaudy scoring numbers with ridiculous efficiency. Irving is putting up 50/40/90 shooting splits and Durant is a hair away from matching that (he’s 1.5 percentage points away on his free throws).

And of course, Spencer Dinwiddie is out for the season after suffering a partially torn ACL. The shorthanded Nets will have their work cut out for them against the 76ers, who have the best record in the NBA at 7-1.

NY/NJ hoops reporter (NBA/NCAA) & sports betting writer for XL Media. Never had the makings of a varsity athlete.