Kyrie Irving could join the Nets as soon as Sunday

All-Star Guard Suspension Kyrie Irving She is close to completing the process needed to return to play and could rejoin the Brooklyn Nets once Sunday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Barclays Center, sources tell ESPN.

Irving will miss his eighth straight game Thursday night in Portland, sources said, but he’s nearing the end of his suspension after nearly two weeks.

“Kerry continues his journey of dialogue and education,” Tamika Tremaglio, executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, told ESPN Wednesday night. “He has been grappling with the full impact of the impact of his voice and actions, particularly in the Jewish community. Kerry rejects anti-Semitism in any form, and is dedicated to improving himself and increasing his level of understanding. He plans to continue this journey well into the future to make sure that his words and actions are in line with his pursuit Beyond the truth and knowledge.”

Sources said Tremaglio and the union worked closely with Irving, the Nets and the NBA to help him craft his own remedies to end the suspension. What may have started as a strict list of prerequisites, the sources said, evolved into Irving himself taking charge of the process, which is what the Nets and the league hoped it would be.

Irving is serving a minimum five-game ban without pay for failing to initially apologize and condemning his association on social media with a film laced with anti-Semitic material.

Irving’s apology — posted to his Instagram account hours after his suspension was announced on November 4 — came on the heels of two press conferences and a public statement issued with the Nets that contained no apology or condemnation.

Irving met with Nets owner Joe Tsai and Commissioner Adam Silver individually, and both said publicly that they did not think Irving was an anti-Semite.

At the time of his suspension, the Nets issued a statement saying that his “failure to disavow antisemitism when given a clear opportunity to do so is deeply troubling, contrary to our organization’s values, and constitutes behavior detrimental to the team.”

In a memo to NBPA members on Friday, the union told NBA players that “Kyrie’s rights, and the rights of all future players, have been protected at every turn,” and added that the union “appears to[s] Forward in the near future to reach a solution to all matters that satisfies all parties.

The League described the recent meetings as “an attempt to deepen understanding and open clear lines of communication between all parties.”

The Nets are 4-3 without Irving during his suspension, including a 153-121 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. Brooklyn is 6-9 overall, 5.5 games behind first-place Boston in the Eastern Conference standings.

Irving, 30, is averaging 26.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists this season.