NBA
Kyrie Irving Will Be Able to Play in Brooklyn Nets Home Games ‘In the Coming Weeks’
Joe Kozlowski began his career as a sports journalist in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2019. He covers the NBA and soccer for Sportscasting, with specialties in legacy NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Premier League club Arsenal. Off the clock, he's a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a hockey goalie. Growing up loving Shaquille O'Neal and reading everything he could about the great big men throughout NBA history — likely because he was still tall enough, at least relative to his peers, to play center — he's continued to love learning about and exploring the historical and story-based sides of the basketball archives. As for Arsenal, Joe spent a year living in London and latched onto the local support of the club. He's barely missed a match since, loving Arsene Wenger, enduring the Banter Era, and following along through rebuilds. The Premier League interest developed into a passionate following of the Champions League, Europe's big five league, and international soccer as a whole when played at the highest level. Regardless of the sport, Joe is captivated by the stories of athletes beyond the box scores and how they push the envelope — both in terms of what we think a human is capable of accomplishing and how they find new competitive tactics to win.
Get to know Joe Kozlowski betterPublished23 Feb 2022
For most of the NBA season, Kyrie Irving has remained a metaphorical question mark. Due to his refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19, the Brooklyn Nets guard has been little more than a part-time player, shuffling in and out of the lineup as his team travels the country. Under New York City’s vaccine mandate, Irving was unable to play home games at the Barclays Center and only suited up for the squad on the road. In the coming weeks, however, that seems poised to change.
As shared by Shams Charania, New York City’s (relatively) new mayor, Eric Adams, is planning to phase out the existing vaccine mandate. Once that happens, Irving will be free to suit up for every Nets game.
Kyrie Irving will be able to play Brooklyn Nets home games in the near future
On paper, the Brooklyn Nets began the 2021-22 season with a headline trio of James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving. In reality, though, those three rarely hit the floor together. Now, Harden has headed south to Philadelphia, but Irving could be returning to the lineup.
On Wednesday, February 23, New York City Mayor Eric Adams revealed that he had a plan to repeal the city’s vaccine mandate. While he didn’t offer too many specifics, he suggested that changes could come within the next few weeks.
While that obviously has an impact on millions of people in the Big Apple, it also changes things for one very famous New Yorker: Irving.
As noted by Shams Charania, that change would mean Kyrie take the court at the Barclays Center. Given the basketball calendar, the implications of that change are clear. With the season’s biggest games approaching, Irving could be back in the lineup, allowing Steve Nash to theoretically send out a trio of Ben Simmons, Kevin Durant, and Irving for the playoffs.
The finer details remain to be seen; as Charania noted, NYC’s restrictions remain in place as of now. Within the next few weeks, though, things could get much different for the Nets and the entire Eastern Conference.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “More than 520 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been given in the United States from December 14, 2020, through January 10, 2022. … COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.”
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