Pre-Game Smudging (Burning Sage) at TD Garden

On December 18, 2020, ahead of a Nets–Celtics preseason game at TD Garden, Kyrie Irving walked onto the parquet carrying a smoldering bundle of sage and proceeded to move around the playing surface in a short ritual often described in reporting as smudging [3][10]. The Associated Press quoted Irving explaining the action as: "It just comes from a lot of native tribes. Just cleanse the energy, want to make sure that we’re all balanced" [3]. National and local outlets covered the visual nature of the ritual and included Irving's on-record explanation tying the act to Native traditions and a desire to balance energy [3][10]. Reaction in Boston was mixed: some fans and commentators questioned the appropriateness of a visible ritual on an NBA court, while others accepted Irving's explanation as cultural practice; coverage emphasized both Irving's intent and the range of responses from fans and media [3][10]. The incident was captured by arena cameras and reported by multiple outlets, creating a permanent media record of the action and Irving's quoted rationale [3][10].

The smudging mattered because it was a visible, culturally framed act performed on a Boston court that Irving explicitly tied to Native practices, which complicated the narrative beyond simple fan anger about the 2019 departure [3][10]. The ritual introduced a cultural-identity element to the dynamic between Irving and Boston fans, opening debates about cultural expression, appropriation, and whether the act was provocation or personal practice. It also demonstrated that not all escalations involved explicit confrontation; symbolic, pregame actions could alter perceptions and coverage [3][10].

Coverage of the Dec. 18, 2020 smudging set the tone for later interpretations of Irving's visible rituals and symbolic acts during returns to Boston. Irving's explanation was documented in multiple outlets and later cited when critics interpreted other symbolic behaviors (logo scraping, middle-finger gestures) as deliberate provocation rather than personal practice [3][2][1]. There were no reported disciplinary actions stemming from the smudging; instead, it became part of the media record used to contextualize subsequent incidents in Boston [3][10].