Nets superstar Kyrie Irving faces massive income losses for missing games

Not getting vaccinated comes at a high price -- especially if you are an NBA player.

Such is the case for Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving, who stands to lose millions of dollars if he can't play in home games this season due to his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine, ESPN reported Monday morning.

"This is the last thing I wanted to create... more distractions and more hoopla and more drama around this," Irving said, via ESPN. "I know that I'll be there every day no matter what and just be present for my teammates as one of the leaders on the team and be there for my growing tribe off the court."

Irving's comments come as the NBA and the NBA Players Association finalize penalties for unvaccinated players in the New York and San Francisco markets, which have strict local mandates for individuals who are not vaccinated against COVID-19. The two sides recently decided there will be "a reduction in pay of 1/91.6th of a player's salary for each game an unvaccinated player misses because of local COVID-19 vaccine mandates," ESPN reported. 

If Irving cannot play in home games, he stands to lose upwards of $380,000 per game.

"I'm doing my best to maintain this with good intentions and a good heart," said Irving, who could miss preseason home games this week if he doesn't get his first COVID shot.

The 29-year-old guard, who publicly follows conspiracy theories against the vaccine, already missed the Nets media day festivities because local mandates prohibit unvaccinated personnel from being on the premises.

Irving is the last big NBA holdout who could miss games if he isn't vaccinated. Golden State Warriors small forward Andrew Wiggins made headlines last month for his strong stance against getting vaccinated, but recently got his first shot so he wouldn't miss any home games.