Nets shelve Irving until he's vaccinated and eligible
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LOS ANGELES • The Brooklyn Nets' Kyrie Irving will not be allowed to play or practise with the team until he is "eligible to be a full participant", the National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise said yesterday amid the continuing fallout over the guard's Covid-19 vaccination status.
Irving, who has refused to reveal his vaccination status, was forced to sit out the Nets' first pre-season home game last week against the Milwaukee Bucks as he was listed as "ineligible" by the team.
A New York City mandate requires proof of at least one shot of the Covid-19 vaccine to enter large indoor spaces such as sports arenas, concert halls and movie theatres.
Similar rules are in place in San Francisco and will go into effect in Los Angeles from Nov 29.
The Nets' general manager Sean Marks said in a statement: "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."
Irving's stance potentially could cost him millions, although the players' association could move to challenge salary withholding over vaccination status.
Marks said yesterday that Irving would not be paid for home games he misses while "ineligible".
The NBA is not forcing players to get vaccinated against Covid-19, but it is going to withhold pay for any player who misses games due to local regulations.
Irving is due US$35.3 million (S$47.9 million) this season in the third year of a four-year, US$136.5 million deal he signed in 2019.
Marks said the team's decision is not indicative of a trade and the Nets would "welcome Kyrie back with open arms ... under a different set of circumstances".
"I'm sure this is not a decision that (Irving and his agents) like - he wants to be participating with his teammates," Marks said.
"Again this is a choice that Kyrie had and he was well aware of it. We had multiple conversations and they were good. This is where we stand today."
REUTERS
