Kyrie Irving has been a part-time player for the Brooklyn Nets since he returned to their lineup nearly two months ago, but that may not be the case for much longer.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced on Wednesday that he “can’t wait” to be able to end vaccine mandates at some point in the near future. He said there are statistical benchmarks the city will have to hit but he looks forward to a “real transformation” in the next few weeks.
Irving has not gotten the COVID-19 vaccine, so he is not eligible to play in home games for the Nets at the moment. Other major cities like Boston and Philadelphia have ended their vaccine mandates in recent days, and New York City is clearly going to do the same. At that point, Irving will be able to at the Barclays Center.
The Nets have a chance to make a deep playoff run if everything goes right, even after trading James Harden. It’s unclear how Ben Simmons will fit in with the team, but it sounds like the Nets are going to have both him and Irving available at some point down the stretch and into the postseason.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver was recently critical of the hypocrisy surrounding Irving’s situation, but it is expected to change very soon.
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