Kyrie Irving Offers To Pay Azeez Al-Shaair's $11,492 NFL Fine After Hind Rajab Tribute to Girl Killed in Gaza

Kyrie Irving has offered to pay Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair's $11,492 NFL fine after the player wore eye black bearing the name of Hind Rajab, a Palestinian girl killed in Gaza in 2024, during Houston's Week 1 game against the Buffalo Bills.

The Dallas Mavericks guard made the offer on Wednesday in a brief post on X, writing: 'I'll take care of his fine.'

The NFL disciplined Al-Shaair after the Texans' 36-31 defeat on Sunday over the message honouring Rajab. Irving's response continued his public support for Palestinians during the conflict in Gaza.

Kyrie Irving Steps in After Azeez Al-Shaair Fine

Al-Shaair wore Rajab's name on his eye black during the Texans' game against Buffalo. NFL rules prohibit players from displaying personal messages that have not been approved in advance by the league while they are visible to spectators or television audiences.

The restriction applies during pre-game warm-ups, while players are on the bench and during post-game interviews on the field or in the locker room.

Rajab was killed in Gaza in 2024 while fleeing Gaza City with members of her family. Their vehicle came under fire, killing her uncle, aunt and cousins. Rajab initially survived and remained in contact with Palestine Red Crescent Society dispatchers for hours while awaiting rescue before she also died.

Irving has previously displayed support for Palestinians. He appeared at last season's All-Star Game wearing a shirt marked 'PRESS', which was intended to raise awareness of events in the Middle East. He has also worn a chain featuring the Palestinian flag.

His response to Al-Shaair's latest fine was considerably shorter. In his X post, Irving did not address the NFL rule or the disciplinary decision, writing only: 'I'll take care of his fine'.

Azeez Al-Shaair Has Faced NFL Discipline Before

The latest penalty is not Al-Shaair's first involving a message written on his eye black.

During last season's play-offs, the Texans captain was fined after displaying the words 'Stop the genocide' during Houston's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. A week later, before a play-off game at New England, Al-Shaair said he attempted to use the same message again but was told he would not be allowed to play if he repeated it.

'At the end of the day, it's bigger than me,' Al-Shaair told reporters after the Patriots game in January. He said the suffering of people affected by the conflict placed his own frustrations with football into perspective, adding that he had no personal connection to them beyond 'the fact that I'm a human being'.

Al-Shaair has also used the NFL's 'My Cause, My Cleats' campaign to support the Palestine Children's Relief Fund. In 2024, his custom cleats carried the word 'FREE' on one side and a Quranic verse on the other reading: 'Surely to Allah we belong and to him we will all return.'

Kyrie Irving Fine Offer Follows Al-Shaair's Aid Work

Al-Shaair, who was the Texans' 2025 club winner for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, has continued his involvement with humanitarian causes away from the field.

In July, he travelled to Jordan with the nonprofit Human Development Fund and met children and families affected by the conflict.

'I stayed there literally as long as I possibly could,' Al-Shaair said during training camp. 'I just didn't want to leave them, and I think about them every day.' He has also met families from Gaza who were receiving medical treatment in Houston.

Rajab's story has since been referenced in music and documentary projects. Macklemore released the protest songs 'Hind's Hall' and 'Hind's Hall 2', with proceeds directed to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.

For the NFL, the disciplinary action concerns its restrictions on unapproved personal messages. Irving's Wednesday post does not alter the fine against Al-Shaair, but the Mavericks guard said he intends to pay it.