Kyrie Irving's trade request to the Brooklyn Nets caught his teammates off guard, according to Nic Claxton.
Having failed to agree a fresh long-term deal with the franchise, and in the final year of his four-year agreement, Irving has demanded a trade.
Suitors are growing, with ESPN reporting the Los Angeles Clippers have joined the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns in the hunt for his services.
Brooklyn are mulling over their options as they seek to remain competitive ahead of the imminent return of Kevin Durant, ahead of Thursday's trade deadline.
Irving's request led to plenty of surprise among fans, a feeling that was shared by center Claxton.
"I was taking a nap. I looked in one of my group chats and I saw it," he said on Saturday. "I was like, 'Wow'. It just caught me off guard. But it is what it is.
"We're just like everybody else, we were caught off guard, but I can't judge a grown man for his decisions.
"At the end of the day, he's doing what's best for him. I stand by him, and I stand with my teammates here in this locker room."
Irving did not play in Saturday's game against the Washington Wizards due to right calf soreness, where the Nets moved to 31-20 after a 125-123 victory.
Kyrie Irving will miss the Brooklyn Nets' clash with the Washington Wizards due to injury just a day after he requested a trade.
Star Nets guard Irving reportedly told the team on Friday he wants to leave before the February 9 deadline, otherwise he will depart as a free agent in July.
The 30-year-old was not initially named among Brooklyn's absentees, but the Nets placed him on their injury report due to right-calf soreness on Saturday.
It will mark the third game of the season Irving has missed through injury, while he also served an eight-game suspension in November.
Irving has averaged 27.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists this season. Brooklyn will also be without Ben Simmons for a fourth straight game due to a sore left knee.
The Nets sit fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 31-20 record ahead of their clash with the 24-26 Wizards.
Eight-time All-Star Kyrie Irving wants to be traded by the Brooklyn Nets before the February 9 deadline, it was reported on Friday.
The 30-year-old point guard has told the Nets of his intentions, with Irving looking for a change after four years with the team.
According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, Irving has told the Nets he wants to leave now in a trade, otherwise he will depart in free agency in July.
The Nets were destroyed 139-96 by the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, with Irving on the team, and they sit fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 31-20 record.
They have lost seven of their last 11 games during Kevin Durant's injury absence.
Irving has averaged 27.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists this season, in keeping with his form from recent campaigns.
Reports have said the Nets have seen no need to rush talks over a contract extension for Irving, who scored a season-high 48 points in a win over the Utah Jazz on January 20.
The first overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft spent his formative years with the Cleveland Cavaliers, winning a championship in 2016 and becoming a near lock-in for All-Star recognition.
He then spent two years with the Celtics before arriving in Brooklyn in free agency in July 2019, signing a four-year contract.
Now it remains to be seen whether teams are in a position to move for Irving, and whether those that are keen figure in Irving's own plans, with time at a premium.
The Nets are next in action on Saturday when they face the 24-26 Washington Wizards.
Giannis Antetokounmpo joked he will celebrate with "50 cheeseburgers" after his latest 50-point showing in the Milwaukee Bucks' 106-105 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
The two-time MVP scored 20 of his 54 points in the fourth quarter of Thursday's contest as the Bucks recovered from a 21-point deficit to win for a sixth game in a row.
He has now reached the 50-point mark three times in his last 11 games, having hit a career-high 55 against the Washington Wizards and 50 against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Antetokounmpo was filmed ordering 50 chicken nuggets when the Bucks landed their first title in 50 years in 2021, and he now plans on doing something similar.
"I think I'm going to go to Culver's tomorrow," he said. "I'll go get 50 cheeseburgers and try to eat as many as I can. The rest, I'll have my son eat them or I give them to my dog."
Antetokounmpo also had 18 rebounds against the Clippers as he continued his remarkable form since returning from injury last month.
The 28-year-old has helped the Bucks to a 6-0 record in that period, averaging 40.2 points per game, 14.7 rebounds per game and four assists per game.
He is the first NBA player to average 40/12/4 while going undefeated over a six-game span since Wilt Chamberlain did so in January 1964.
And Antetokounmpo has also joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players in Bucks' history to have at least three 50-point games in a single season.
"It's a great compliment to be up there with Kareem," Antetokounmpo said. "I never thought I was going to score 50 in the NBA when I got drafted. It's an insane, crazy journey."
Antetokounmpo has now averaged 32.3 points per game across 41 appearances this season, a tally bettered only by Luka Doncic (33.4) and Joel Embiid (33.5).
"He's relentless," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said after his side's comeback win over the Clippers.
"He's going to put himself in position to help us win. Whatever it takes for us to win, he's going to do it. He's fearless and relentless. That's what you saw going down the stretch."
The Los Angeles Lakers "hardly ever discuss" LeBron James' hunt for the NBA points record, according to coach Darvin Ham.
James scored 26 points, added seven rebounds and provided seven assists as the Lakers fought back to beat the Pacers 112-111 on Thursday.
That haul moved James onto 38,325 points across his illustrious career, 62 short of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time record.
It means James is likely to break the record against the Oklahoma City Thunder next week.
Ham, however, says the Lakers do not treat it as too big of a deal.
"I think it's an amazing feat," Lakers coach Darvin Ham told reporters.
"When it happens, kudos to Bron for all his longevity and not just longevity, but longevity at the top of the list at an elite level.
"But our day-to-day, we hardly ever discuss it unless we're asked about it. For us, it's just, how can we get our team in the best position to make a run?"
James, though, did not look to downplay the importance of the record.
"I think it's one of the greatest records in sports, in general. It's like the home run record in baseball," he said.
"It's one of those records that you don't ever see or think will be broken.
"You see guys like Hank Aaron, who had [baseball's home run record] for so long. You see guys like Sammy [Sosa] and Mark McGwire and you start climbing it and it's like, 'Oh, this could really happen.'
"It's a fun thing as a sports person. It was fun watching those guys chasing it."
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 31 points and 14 rebounds, and it was his 11-foot shot with 35 seconds left put Los Angeles ahead, before he made a crucial block from Tyrese Haliburton.
Davis missed out on selection for the All-Star Game, though that was of little concern.
"I'm here to win, to try to compete for championships, not to get into All-Star Games," Davis said.
"My wife is ecstatic. She already texted me, 'So, where we going [during All-Star break]?'"
Former MVP James Harden and Atlanta Hawks franchise player Trae Young were among those to miss out on All-Star selection after the Eastern Conference reserves were announced on Thursday.
The starters had already been named a week ago, with Brooklyn Nets tandem Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant being joined by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell and Boston Celtics MVP candidate Jayson Tatum on the East team, captained by Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
After being a surprise omission from the starters, Philadelphia 76ers back-to-back MVP runner-up Joel Embiid headlined the reserves, where he will be joined by Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo, Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, New York Knicks big-man Julius Randle, Chicago Bulls wing DeMar DeRozan, Bucks point guard Jrue Holiday and Indiana Pacers rising star Tyrese Haliburton.
It is the sixth consecutive All-Star selection for Embiid, the sixth overall for DeRozan, while it will be the second time for Adebayo, Brown, Randle and Holiday – with Holiday having to wait 10 years between drinks after his first selection in 2013.
Haliburton was the only first-time All-Star in the East, and he had to beat out some serious names to earn the honour.
The Pacers point guard is averaging career-highs in points (20.2) and assists (10.2) after being traded from the Sacramento Kings at last season's trade deadline, while his 1.8 steals per game has him sitting fourth in the league.
His 10.2 assists per game trails only Harden (11.0), while Harden is also averaging more points (21.4), rebounds (6.4 to 4.0) and owns a superior record. Harden – who had made 10 consecutive All-Star Games prior to this season – is 23-11 in his 34 contests entering Thursday, while Haliburton's Pacers are 22-18 in his 40 appearances.
The 76ers are the only of the East's top-four teams to not send two players to All-Star Weekend.
Meanwhile, Young's Hawks also sit two places above the Pacers in the standings with a 26-26 record. With 27.0 points and 9.9 assists per game, Young joins Harden and back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic as the only players in the league averaging at least 21 points and nine assists.
James Harden has shrugged off any stress over his chances of making the All-Star Game, saying his numbers speak for themselves.
Harden had a double-double of 26 points and 10 assists as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Orlando Magic 105-94 on Wednesday.
The 33-year-old is a 10-time All-Star, but an 11th successive appearance in the mid-season exhibition game is not guaranteed.
Harden faces stiff competition from several other star names, including Sixers team-mate Joel Embiid, in the Eastern Conference to make the reserve list for the All-Star Game. There are seven spots available for each conference.
Yet Harden, who is averaging 21.4 points per game – Embiid, with 33.5, is the only Sixers player to boast more – 6.4 rebounds and 11 assists this season, believes he has done enough.
"If my name is called, great," Harden told reporters. "If not, there's bigger and better goals for the season.
"I'm not going to sit here and make a case. The numbers show it, our seed shows it."
The Sixers are third in the East with a 33-17 record, having won eight of their previous nine games.
Harden made three catch-and-shoot three-pointers against Orlando and was thrilled to thrive in an area where he has struggled.
"That's pretty exciting, I didn't want to do too much, just catch and shoot," he explained.
"You put the work in, I work on it every day. So opportunities are going to come whether it's Joel or dribble penetration."
Embiid added: "That's not something he was comfortable with, but he's gotten better over time and he's taking more and more.
"He needs to take more than he does, but it's a good step. He's getting better and he's knocking them down."
Embiid was marked tightly by the Magic's Franz Wagner, though still topped the scoring with 28 points, adding 11 rebounds and three assists.
"A really good young player," Embiid said of Wagner. "Obviously, you can tell he's competitive, as he kept attacking even though he was not getting the better of me.
"But I like him, a great talent and as a team, that's a pretty good team."
Sixers coach Doc Rivers, meanwhile, saw scope for improvement.
"I didn't think we played great, but we played good enough to win," he said. "We'll take that."
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