Nets' Kyrie Irving 'incredibly grateful' to be back at practice

It was learned back on Dec. 17 that Brooklyn Nets All-Star guard Kyrie Irving was working to make his return to the club for road games after he missed more than two months of action because of his refusal to receive one of the available COVID-19 vaccines coupled with New York City's vaccine mandate regarding players participating in contests held at venues such as Barclays Center.

Irving, along with teammates Kevin Durant and LaMarcus Aldridge, cleared the NBA's health and safety protocols on Tuesday, and Irving made his much-anticipated return to the practice court Wednesday. 

He hadn't practiced with the Nets since before the start of the regular season in October. 

"Incredibly grateful just to be back in the building," Irving said, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. "Welcomed back with open arms [from] my teammates, the whole organization. Not gonna lie, it has been relatively tough to watch from the sideline with everything going on in the world. I know everybody is feeling it [COVID]. Just praying for everybody to be healthy during these times. If I get the opportunity to get on the court and play with my teammates, even if it is just on the road for away games, I am grateful for the opportunity."

The 23-9 Nets sit atop the Eastern Conference standings and play their next three games at home, meaning Irving cannot make his season debut until Brooklyn travels to the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 5 at the earliest. 

"He looks great considering he just came out of protocols and hasn't played basketball," Nets head coach Steve Nash said of the one-time NBA champion. "How does he recover from today? How many high-intensity [practices] does he need to feel comfortable, confident."

Irving added he "empathized" and "understood" why he was essentially exiled away from the team because he couldn't be a full-time player due to his unwillingness to receive a coronavirus vaccine. He is ineligible to play in road matchups at the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors unless he gets vaccinated. 

"I am just looking forward to that first game whether it be kind of [Jan. 5] or somewhere after that, however I can get back in shape at an optimum level and be productive, that is what I am aiming on," he explained.