The Brooklyn Nets won’t allow basketball star Kyrie Irving to participate in any team activities until he receives the COVID-19 vaccine, the team announced Tuesday.
“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,” general manager Sean Marks said in a statement.
“Kyrie has made a personal choice, and we respect his individual right to choose,” it continued. “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.”
As reported by Fox News, the team initially intended to prohibit Irving from playing in home games due to New York City health mandates. While he was granted permission to practice with the team at its facilities, he was at risk of missing 41 games.
Tuesday’s announcement deems him ineligible for any team activity until he gets vaccinated.
“It is imperative that we continue to build chemistry as a team and remain true to our long-established values of togetherness and sacrifice,” Marks continued. “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.”
As previously reported by Human Events News, the NBA issued a stark warning to its unvaccinated players: you refuse, you lose.
If players are forced to miss games due to local executive orders requiring vaccinations, they won’t be paid.
“Any player who elects not to comply with local vaccination mandates will not be paid for games that he misses,” NBA’s executive vice president of communications Mike Bass said in a statement in September.
