The NBA can’t mandate that all its players get vaccinated, but can decide if its players are allowed to step on the court and has a made a ruling in Kyrie Irving’s stance on not getting injected. The Brooklyn Nets announced on Oct. 12, that Irving will not play or practice with the Brooklyn Nets until he is eligible to become a full participant under local COVID-19 vaccination requirements.
“Kyrie has made a personal choice, and we respect his individual right to choose. Currently the choice restricts his ability to be a full-time member of the team, and we will not permit any member of our team to participate with part-time availability. It is imperative that we continue to build chemistry as a team and remain true to our long-established values of togetherness and sacrifice,” general manager Sean Marks said in a statement.
“Our championship goals for the season have not changed, and to achieve these goals each member of our organization must pull in the same direction. We are excited for the start of the season and look forward to a successful campaign that will make the borough of Brooklyn proud, “ Marks added.
New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate requires a person to have proof of at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot to enter indoor gyms, including Barclays Center, the home of the Nets, and Madison Square Garden, the home of the Knicks. The Nets are prevented by law from revealing whether Irving has received the COVID-19 vaccination, but the team’s statement is a strong indication he has not.
New York Knicks’ legend Charles Oakley recently spoke to TMZ who questioned how he’d handle the situation if he was part of the Nets organization.
“Yes. I definitely would have a conversation with Kyrie… Kyrie is an individual, he believes in what he believes in. But I would have to talk to him. Management would have to talk to him. But at the end of the day, he’s a grown man. He knows he’s losing $300-$400 thousand a game. It’s not about the money; we see that. It’s something inside of him. He wants to prove that there is other things going on in this world that we need to take control of. So, that’s his decision,” explained Oakley.
The new NBA season kicks on Oct. 19 when the Nets go up against the current NBA champions, the Milwaukee Bucks, in Wisconsin. Irving still has several days to decide and has yet to respond to the latest announcement.
