Kyrie hates wearing mask, but amused by social media attention

Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics is set to return to action Tuesday night against the Brooklyn Nets, wearing a protective face mask. After missing Sunday's win over the Toronto Raptors with a facial fracture, the point guard admits he gets a chuckle out of the social media phenomenon that is created when NBA stars don such protective headgear.

"I hate wearing it, but somehow it's caused a craze on Instagram as well as social media," Irving said, according to ESPN's Chris Forsberg. "It's 'masked man.' But I understand that it's just for my safety, so throw on the mask for a few weeks and go about my business."

Irving last had to wear a mask back in 2012, and it looked quite humorous. When his former teammate LeBron James dropped a career-high 61 points in 2014, the fact he did it in a mask spawned an entire superhero meme.

There's still a sore spot on Irving's face, something the 25-year-old said has not been helped by his daughter.

"My daughter hit me in my face the other day and, that right there, I almost teared up," Irving said. "I did my absolute best not to cry in front of her."