Kyrie Irving Not Allowed to Play Until he Meets Vaccination Requirements

Brooklyn Nets Player Kyrie Irving Not Allowed to Play Until he Meets New York’s Vaccination Requirements

The controversy surrounding Brooklyn Nets basketball player Kyrie Irving has taken another turn that could jeopardize his playing career with the NBA team.

According to NBA.com, Nets All-Star guard Kyrie Irving will not be allowed to participate, play or practice with the Brooklyn Nets until he complies with New York State’s COVID-19 vaccination rules.

Brooklyn Nets General Manager Sean Marks released a statement regarding the vaccination status of Irving:

“Given the evolving nature of the situation and after thorough deliberation, we have decided Kyrie Irving will not play or practice with the team until he is eligible to be a full participant. 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.”

Marks has stated that this decision was made with owner Joe Tsai after having discussions with Irving and his associates. It was also mentioned that Irving’s teammates had said they were supportive of Irving’s decision, but the general manager also seem to indicate that there was a concern about how fans would react to Irving’s only playing road games and not playing any homes games this season.

It was suspected that if Irving didn’t get vaccinated that he would only play road games (With the exception of games played in San Francisco, California, and at Madison Square Garden) this upcoming season, but with this latest announcement, he will be sidelined until he gets vaccinated or traded to another team.

Last month BLACK ENTERPRISE reported that according to a Twitter post from The Athletic’s Shams Charania, unvaccinated players in New York and San Francisco cannot enter the arenas of the Golden State Warriors (who play at the Chase Center in San Francisco), the New York Knicks (Madison Square Garden in New York) and the Brooklyn Nets (Barclays Center in Brooklyn).

Sources: Unvaccinated NBA players in markets with local requirements — such as NYC (Knicks, Nets) and SF (Warriors) — will not be allowed to enter home arenas or facilities for games or team activities conducted there unless there’s approved medical or religious exemption.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 1, 2021

This follows local governmental policies, meaning unvaccinated players on the Nets, Knicks and Warriors are not allowed to play in home games. Visiting players are exempt from the vaccination requirements in NYC and SF. https://t.co/fPePW722Og
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 1, 2021