Kyrie Irving returned to TD Garden on Friday night for his first matchup in Boston since he left the Celtics for Brooklyn.
Yet before he took the court for the Nets’ 113-89 preseason win against the Celtics, Irving had to cleanse the arena.
Kyrie Irving burns sage at TD Garden
Irving, before warming up on Friday, circled the court while burning sage.
Burning sage, or smudging, is a practice often used by Native Americans and other indigenous groups to cleanse something, be that a person or a place, and bring positive energy.
Irving has very strong indigenous roots himself.