Kyrie Irving will not practice or play with the Brooklyn Nets until he can be a full participant, the team announced.
The full team statement by general manager Sean Marks:
“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,” said Marks. “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. It is imperative that we continue to build chemistry as a team and remain true to our long-established values of togetherness and sacrifice. 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.”
Without getting vaccinated, Irving is only eligible to play in half of the Nets’ games.
The Nets are prevented by law to reveal Irving’s vaccination status, but their statement is an indication that he is not.
The 29-year-old is the only player on the team who is reportedly not vaccinated against COVID-19.
New York’s mandate requires that players have at least one dose of the vaccine in order to enter indoor venues such as Barclays Center.
As a part-time player, Irving would only be able to play in 43 of 82 regular season games (41 home games, two games at Madison Square Garden).
The decision ultimately involved stars Kevin Durant and James Harden in addition to Marks and owner Joe Tsai.
