Kyrie Irving Says He Requested Brooklyn Nets Release Due to COVID Mandate

New York City later lifted its vaccine requirements for indoor activities, but Irving remained unable to play in the NBA. Players from visiting teams who did not meet the city’s COVID-19 mandate were allowed to play in New York. New York City mayor Eric Adams, who is currently still in power and is running in the city’s 2025 mayoral election, acknowledged in Feb. 2022 that the circumstances around Irving’s case were unusual.

“These are the rules and I have to follow the rules,” Adams said. “If I don't, I'm going to open the door that is sending the wrong message to everyday employees. [...] And trust me, I want Kyrie on the court. We are here right now opening our city because of vaccine mandates. We can’t close down again. I can’t have my city close down again.”

Irving was cleared to compete on March 24 after Adams announced that unvaccinated athletes and performers, “important for the city's economic outlook,” would be authorized to return to work. 

The now-33-year-old superstar made his home debut on March 27, 2022, in a 119-110 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Irving finished with 16 points and 11 assists on 6-for-22 shooting.

He said then: “I'm standing for freedom. So that's in all facets of my life. There's nobody that's enslaving me, there's nobody that's telling me what I'm going to do with my life, and that's just the way I am. If I get tarnished in terms of my image and people try to slander my name continuously, those aren't things that I forget. I haven't forgotten anything that anybody said. I don't read everything, but I definitely read some things that put my family's name in a certain position that I believe are unfair.”