Jun 5, 2021; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving (11) reacts after making a basket against the Milwaukee Bucks during the second quarter of game one in the Eastern Conference semifinals of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Kyrie Irving's Nets Tenure Leaves Stain on Potential Hall of Fame Resume

Originally posted on Brooklyn Nets on SI | By Ivan White | Last updated Sep 6, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The Brooklyn Nets have had some big names over the past few years, but one player stands out as the most interesting.

Although the Nets had a couple of trips to the NBA Finals in the Jason Kidd days, there is a legitimate argument that the 2021 squad was the franchise’s best. Of course, that 2021 team went down in dramatic fashion in the second round against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Best known for a Game 7 where Kevin Durant’s foot was a bit too big, that series had plenty of twists and turns and led to one of the ugliest NBA breakups in recent memory. While Durant had some injury issues the following year and James Harden forced his way out at the trade deadline, it’s hard not to track that era’s issues back to Kyrie Irving.

Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

In a recent story from The Athletic, Mike Vorkunov put active stars into tiers based on their likelihood of making the Hall of Fame. While Irving’s former Brooklyn teammates, Durant and Harden, landed as clear locks, the former No. 1 pick was tabbed a near lock, with Vorkunov citing that his case is more “muddled” than his resume would appear.

Arguably, the largest stain on Irving’s career is his off-court stand ahead of the 2021-22 season. Unwilling to get the COVID vaccine, Irving wasn’t allowed to play for the Nets in home games as a result of New York City’s vaccine mandate.

With Brooklyn not wanting to have a part-time star, it chose not to allow Irving to play in away games, either. However, the Nets’ stance on that changed after the turn of the calendar, with Irving playing road games once January began.

By late March, Irving was allowed to play in home games again, but it was too late to reverse any damage that had been done. Once a top contender in the East, the Nets had already sent Harden out the door and had recently gone 3-17 in a 20-game stretch that pushed Brooklyn down to the seventh seed, firmly out of title contention.

David Butler II-Imagn Images

The next season, Irving’s off-court drama continued, with him being suspended early in the year for sharing a link to an antisemitic video. That suspension lasted eight games and was one of the last straws for the Nets, who traded him to Dallas just a few months later in early February 2023.

Perhaps none of these issues in Brooklyn are as prominent if Irving simply stays healthy in the 2021 playoffs and the Nets are able to run through the rest of the league. Instead, there is a clear mark on his tenure in Brooklyn that could at least make things a bit more complicated for Irving’s potential trip to Springfield.

This article first appeared on Brooklyn Nets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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