Brooklyn Nets Ban Kyrie Irving From Team Until He’s Vaccinated Against Covid

Brooklyn Nets All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving is banned from the team until he gets the Covid vaccine.

“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,” Brooklyn general manager Sean Marks said in a statement Tuesday morning.

“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.”

From the Nets: pic.twitter.com/Q4PDxeo4X1

— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) October 12, 2021

ESPN reported:

The vaccine mandate, which went into effect last month, states that anyone entering an indoor gym — including Brooklyn’s Barclays Center and Manhattan’s Madison Square Garden, the homes of the Nets and New York Knicks — must have had at least one COVID-19 shot.

As a result, Irving was unable to play in 43 regular-season games — 41 at Barclays Center, plus two at MSG — and another two preseason games in Brooklyn. Marks confirmed Irving would only lose money for those games, roughly $380,000 per game.

Marks also said, when asked if Irving’s fellow stars, Kevin Durant and James Harden, were consulted on this decision that “everyone” in the organization was aware of what was going on, but that he and owner Joe Tsai were the ones who made it.

“Ultimately, this decision was Joe Tsai and myself, and this decision came down to what we felt was the right move for the organization at this time,” Marks said.