The Case of Kyrie Irving
In the latest NBA headline, Kyrie Irving was asked not to play by the Brooklyn Nets this year because he is unvaccinated, which means that because of NY guidelines he would not be allowed to enter Barclays Center. Even though he would still be able to play in some away games, Nets GM Sean Marks said they will welcome him “with open arms under a different set of circumstances.” Honestly, I can’t blame the Nets for what they said. Virtually anyone and everyone has a strong opinion about the vaccine, so I understand where Kyrie is coming from. However, being a player of that caliber, with the locker room presence that he has, it makes no sense that he would only be available to travel with and practice with the Nets for only half of the season. However, there needs to be a determined course of action going forward.
Furthermore, this case serves as a strong precedent for NBA teams going forward. In the future, if players are ever protesting a cause, or are unable to play because of some circumstance outside of injury, they will be able to look back at the case of Kyrie Irving and have a solid course of action. Granted, the Nets will be more than fine without Irving, but nevertheless it is still a significant moment in sports history.
Even though the Nets have a star studded team around him, having a significant player in Kyrie Irving being out for the season will continue to haunt the confusing Nets, so I am looking forward to a very interesting season.