Los Brooklyn Nets confirmed this Tuesday that the star base Kyrie Irving, one of the NBA professionals who has not yet been vaccinated against Covid-19, I will not be able to compete with the team as long as it has not complied with the requirement demanded by the New York health authorities.
Irving, who has refused to be vaccinated, can maintain his personal position, but the Nets officially announced that he just won’t be able to compete until I change my mind.
The Nets announced Tuesday that Irving will neither play nor train with them until he could be a full participant, putting an end to the idea that he would only play when the team played away games, outside of New York.
Irving has not said that he is not vaccinated, and asked for privacy when he spoke via ‘zoom’ during the team’s press day, on September 27.
But he had seldom been with the team in New York, where a mandate requires professional athletes who play for a team in the city must be vaccinated against Covid-19 if they want to train and compete in public places.
“Kyrie has made it clear that she has a choice in this matter.or, ultimately, it will be up to him to decide, “General Manager Sean Marks reported.”We respect the fact that he has a choiceYou can do yours and right now what is best for the organization is the path we are taking. “
Teams cannot reveal private details about players’ health. But when asked Tuesday if Irving was vaccinated, Marks said: “If I was vaccinated, we wouldn’t have this discussion. I think it’s probably pretty clear. “
Marks noted that he and team owner Joe Tsai made the decision together, adding that it came through conversations with Irving and his associates.
“Kyrie loves to play basketball, wants to be out there, wants to participate with his teammates“Marks stressed.” But then again, this is a choice Kyrie had and he was very aware of that. “
Irving wasn’t even eligible to train with the Nets in New York until Friday, when the city told the team that his training center was considered a private location.
Irving then joined the team for an outdoor workout on Saturday and joined the team on Sunday, but did not play in the Brooklyn exhibition game in Philadelphia on Monday.
Coach, Steve NashHe had said the Nets knew they would lose Irving in some games. For now, at least, it will be all of them.
With the eaves Kevin Durant, he listens to James Harden and Irving, the Nets were considered favorites to win the NBA title. They were eliminated by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round of last season’s playoffs after Irving sprained an ankle and missed the last three games.
Marks didn’t anticipate how long Irving would be out of the team or wonder if the team would consider trying to trade him.
“The hope is that we get Kyrie back“Marks commented.” We will welcome him back with open arms under a different set of circumstances, so we must wait and see how that happens. But in the meantime, we need to focus on the 16 players who are going to be on this list and move on as a team. “
NBA players are not required to get vaccinated, but they face further testing and restrictions on their ability to be around their teammates.
The league had said that players would not be paid for games they missed because they were not eligible to play.
Marks explained that Irving would continue to be paid for away games.
Teammates had said they supported Irving’s decision, but Marks seemed to indicate there was concern about the reaction of the fans.
New York was hit hard in early March 2020 by the coronavirus, and the Nets pavilion became a vaccination center this spring.
“There are countless, countless workers who have lost their jobs because of thisThere are people who have lost loved ones and so on and, as I mentioned before, this is serious, “Reiter Marks.” And we play basketball. And although it is serious and we take our work very seriously, these are mandates that we have no control over right now. “
“All we can do is respect them and think that science and the people who governWhether it is our city, our state, or the country, they are making the right calls for all of us to come back and move towards a healthy and healthy life. safer environment, “added Marks
