Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving states his thoughts stay indifferent regarding how the public feels about his decision not to get the COVID-19 vaccination, saying he made the right decision for him.Irving was asked about his message to people who followed his story — specifically those who said his choice makes the team vulnerable, especially as the playoffs begin.
“I think that should be not just an American right; that should be a human right.” So he voiced after a Nets Practice.
Irving’s vaccination status has been a widespread discussion among the public. New York City’s mandate requiring the shot took place right before the start of the season. The NBA Star frequently made it clear that he would not be getting the vaccine; due to that reason, he wasn’t with the Nets to start the season out, so they didn’t accommodate him as a part-time player. In December, the organization had a teamwide COVID outbreak, while Irving made his season debut in a January win over the Indiana Pacers.For more than two months, Irving could not play-at-home games before New York Mayor Eric Adams removed the city’s vaccination requirement for professional athletes and performers at the end of March.
“I can’t address everybody, but as we move forward in time, I know that I made the right decision for me,” Irving expressed.
When asked about his feelings toward the issue or had something to prove in the postseason after how many teammates stood up for him, Irving said he values the support he received within the organization.
“It’s a great feeling when you know during uncomfortable times you can really lean in on different individuals despite their role in different sectors or different places in our organization or things that they stand for,” Irving continued.
The player explained how some people stood by him in public; some stood by him in private. He’s okay with both and seems unbothered by the public’s outrage but puzzled that his job was in jeopardy after a mandate.
” … It was part of a struggle of mine to look at the season, a game that I love — my job, I can’t even keep calling it a game, it’s my job — that to be stripped away based on a mandate or something that was in place.”
