ESPN basketball analyst Jay Williams vows to never comment on the Kyrie Irving vaccine issue again after getting pelted with death threats and calls to “go hit a pole” and “go die again.”
Williams, 40, nearly died when his motorcycle slammed into a light pole in 2003 and mangled his legs and pelvis. It immediately ended Williams’ electrifying NBA career just after it started in Chicago in 2002.
The Duke University legend and current ESPN commentator set off social media following his spirited debate with Stephen A. Smith regarding Irving’s refusal to take the vaccine. Despite supporting Irving’s stance, folks were calling for Williams’ head almost immediately. The rebuke stung.
“About the last 2 days… From people telling me I should kill myself to the ones that thank me for supporting someone still in the process of making his decision. This is my last word on Kyrie Irving,” Williams told his nearly half-million Instagram followers.
“Thank God I almost passed away when I was 21 years old,” Williams continued. “You know some of the crazy stuff that people say to me on the internet when they disagree with my opinion? ‘Go hit a pole, go die again, aww Duke education.’ Thank God I went through that experience, ‘cause I don’t need other people to justify how I think about myself.”
Many hard-core Brooklyn Nets fans are in their feelings as the season starts on Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021, because they believe that with Irving on the court, they will be favored to win the NBA title. Perhaps that’s why many fans came at Williams so viciously because Williams backs Irving’s decision to refuse the vaccine at this point.
Currently, New York City prohibits any unvaccinated residents from entering public places, thereby preventing Irving from playing.
