Chris Brown has decided to stand with the “real hero,” Kyrie Irving.
A day after making jokes about Ye’s new haircut, the R&B singer posted a black-and-white photo of the Brooklyn Nets point guard with a caption of support on his Instagram story on Oct. 20.
“THE REAL HERO!!!!” Brown’s caption read. “I stand with my brother. WHOEVER DONT LIKE IT …. Go live your d— life..”
Irving, the seven-time NBA All-Star who averaged 26.9 points, six assists and 4.8 rebounds per game last season, has been held out to play for the Nets this season until he gets the full COVID-19 vaccination. He wasn’t allowed to participate in the team’s preseason practices due to Brooklyn and New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Before the start of the regular season, a group of Nets, which included stars Kevin Durant and James Harden, decided to keep Irving off the team until he became fully eligible to play.
The point guard has said he’s taken the stance to be a “voice for the voiceless,” referring to the American employees who have lost their jobs due to vaccine mandates. Irving missed the Nets’ first game of the season on Oct. 19, and Brooklyn lost 127-104 to the defending-NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks.
“ITS HIS CHOICE AND A D— GOOD ONE,” Brown’s caption read. ALWAYS IN MY BROTHER’S CORNER.”
Brown’s support comes a day after Irving was scolded by NBA legends Charles Barkley and Magic Johnson for not taking the vaccine.
“People compare (Irving) to (Muhammad) Ali, first of all don’t ever compare anybody to Ali,” Barkley said on “Inside the NBA” on Oct. 19. “Ali went three years without boxing, he was the highest-paid athlete in the world. [Irving’s] going to make $17 million for sitting at home — but to every person out there, you don’t just get vaccinated for yourself. Let’s get that out the way.”
Johnson appeared on “CBS Mornings” on Oct. 19 and said he would never let a vaccine stop him from being there for his team.
“You have said to your teammates, ‘I’m going to be there for you,’” Johnson said. “Well, you can’t be there if you don’t get vaccinated. You’re letting them down. Then, that hurts our chances of winning a championship. I would never do that to my teammates. Never.”
