Kyrie Irving won’t play Friday in the preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
According to Shams Charania, the Brooklyn Nets star is listed as out, and it’s the first game Irving has missed because he’s unvaccinated and isn’t allowed in a large indoor setting because of the vaccine mandate. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
If Irving remains unvaccinated, he’ll miss all of Brooklyn’s home games.
Nets listed Kyrie Irving as out/ineligible for Friday’s preseason game vs. Bucks. It marks the first home game Irving will miss due to NYC’s vaccination requirement.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 7, 2021
Irving has become the face of NBA players who don’t want to get vaccinated. Jonathan Isaac had some great words about why he’s remaining unvaccinated, but the decision won’t have a huge impact on him because he plays in Orlando.
There’s no indoor vaccine mandate in Orlando, which means he won’t miss much time at all.
Jonathan Isaac shares that he’s had Covid in the past when answering a question on vaccine hesitancy. pic.twitter.com/acwqXgjhEA
— Beyond the RK (@beyondtheRK) September 27, 2021
However, Irving plays for the Nets and the Barclays Center is in New York. That means he’s subject to the government’s vaccine mandate for indoor activities.
As long as he refuses to get vaccinated, he’ll only be able to play road games and he’ll lose every game check for when he’s not out there.
NBA announces that players who do not comply with local vaccination mandates will not be paid for the games they miss pic.twitter.com/VpRG4BjFBb
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 29, 2021
We’ll see if Irving continues to hold out, but he certainly hasn’t shown any signs that he plans on changing his mind. Buckle up because this situation is far from over.