Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving has been told by the franchise that he cannot represent them or even train with them unless he is vaccinated. Earlier, it was stipulated that he would be missing the home games due to laws set place in New York, but the former champion would be forced to miss out an entire season if he does not get the dose.
Irving has been adamant when it came to his stance against the vaccine and from the looks of it, Nets owner Joe Tsai has had enough of the ongoing saga. Nets General Manager said:
“Kyrie’s made it clear that he has a choice in this matter and it’s ultimately going to be up to him what he decides. We respect the fact that he has a choice, he can make his own and right now what’s best for the organization is the path that we’re taking.”
“If he was vaccinated, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. I think that’s probably pretty clear.”
New York City conveyed to the franchise that the practice venue is not a private venue and hence a dose of vaccine would be required to enter the premises.
Kyrie Irving could miss the entire season unless he gets vaccinated
Irving trained with the team in an outdoor facility but missed their pre-season fixture against the Philadelphia 76ers.
While NBA have not made vaccination mandatory criteria, but several state regulations require the player to be vaccinated in order to be eligible for both home and away games. If they are not vaccinated, it would prove to be a hassle in terms of testing and potential quarantine. The league has stated that players won’t be paid for the games because they are ineligible to play, but the Nets will pay for the road games that Irving misses.
There have been several inputs by fans and pundits alike to trade Irving and be done with the saga. A potential trade between the Nets and 76ers was in question as well with both teams facing issues from their point guards.
Brooklyn Nets are currently 2-1 in their pre-season with one more fixture left against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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