It's not often that a player from a rival city will be willing to help out an opponent in a different sport.
One could say that Kyrie Irving just sees a bigger cause in the matter.
Following Sunday's 36-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills
, the NFL fined Houston Texans linebackerAzeez Al-Shaair for displaying the name Hind Rajab on his eye black during the Week 1 outing. Rajab was a 5-year-old Palestinian girl killed during the Gaza war in 2024.Al-Shaair, the Texans' team captain, has been vocal about the war in Gaza, using his platform to bring awareness to the tragedy overseas. In the past, he's worn cleats and written the names of victims who have been in the line of fire because of the war.
But instead of paying this fine, Irving, the star point guard
for the Dallas Mavericks, posted on X that he would be paying the league office for Al-Shaair's fine.
“I’ll take care of his fine," Irving wrote.
I’ll take care of his fine https://t.co/RUo9jXkCFu
— Kyrie🤞🏾 (@KyrieIrving) September 16, 2026
Alongside Al-Shaair, Irving has been consistently outspoken about the conflict in Gaza while offering support to the people of Palestine. During the NBA All-Star Game last year, the All-NBA guard wore a “PRESS” shirt, which was made to raise awareness of the war going on in the Middle East.
The Texans return to the field this Sunday at Noon to take on the Cincinnati Bengals.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving willing to pay Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair's fine for writing name of Palestinian girl
