It’s not every day that an NBA star offers to pay a fine levied against a player who wears a helmet and spikes.
Yet, Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving did exactly that Wednesday, Sept. 16, when he offered to pay for Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair’s $11,492 fine for an unauthorized message written on his eye black.
During Houston’s 36-31 loss Sunday, Sept. 13, Al-Shaair had “Hind Rajab” written on his eye black, referring to a Palestinian girl who appeared to have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in January 2024, according to The Washington Post.
The NFL has strict rules against personal messages. Per the league’s rulebook, “players are prohibited from wearing, displaying, or otherwise conveying personal messages either in writing
or illustration, unless such message has been approved in advance by the League office.”
In a social media post that was responding to the news of Al-Shaair’s discipline, Irving replied, “I’ll take care of his fine.”
I’ll take care of his fine https://t.co/RUo9jXkCFu
— Kyrie🤞🏾 (@KyrieIrving) September 16, 2026
Al-Shaair had previously been fined a similar amount during the 2025 playoffs for writing “STOP THE GENOCIDE” on his eye black, a pro-Palestinian message alluding to the death toll resulting from Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.
Irving has similarly shown solidarity with the pro-Palestinian movement.
In February, at the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, he wore a navy blue T-shirt that read “PRESS” in white letters, in support of Palestinian journalists who have died while covering the conflict.
In the past, Irving has also worn a chain with the Palestinian flag and, in a separate occasion during a post-game press conference, a keffiyeh, which is a headdress worn across the Arab world.
Israel has repeatedly rejected claims of genocide, including during a January 2024 hearing at the International Court of Justice at The Hague, citing “legitimate” self-defense following the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kyrie Irving offers to to pay Azeez Al-Shaair's fine for unauthorized message on eye black
