Nets guard Kyrie Irving won’t be in attendance at the team’s Media Day on Monday, according to Zach Lowe and Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Twitter link). However, Lowe and Windhorst say Irving will accompany the team to its training camp in San Diego, and Malika Andrews of ESPN (Twitter link) cites a team spokesperson who says Kyrie will talk to reporters via Zoom later today.
Irving’s status will be an important storyline to follow this preseason. A report last week indicated that Irving remains unvaccinated against COVID-19 — that’s especially problematic in New York, where the city requires individuals to be fully vaccinated in order to gather in indoor venues. Those regulations may prevent Irving from practicing or playing with the Nets in Brooklyn.
As Matt Sullivan of Rolling Stone detailed in a fascinating report over the weekend, Irving has emerged as one of the NBA’s most high-profile anti-vaxxers and seems unlikely to easily budge from his stance. However, his teammate and good friend Kevin Durant didn’t convey any concern during his Media Day appearance on Monday morning, telling reporters that the team trusts in Irving and expects to have the whole roster available “at some point” (Twitter link via Brian Lewis of The New York Post).
Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York teams:
- The Nets‘ new jersey sponsorship agreement with brokerage platform Webull will be the most lucrative such deal in the NBA, according to Jabari Young of CNBC, who hears that it’ll pay the team about $30MM per year. The club put out a press release today announcing its partnership with Webull.
- Derrick Rose isn’t expecting any sort of training camp battle for the Knicks‘ starting point guard job, telling reporters today that newly-added veteran Kemba Walker will enter the season as the starter. “I’m not worried about minutes,” Rose added, per Steve Popper of Newsday (Twitter link).
- French big man Mathias Lessort, a 2017 second-round pick, has signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv, the Israeli team announced in a press release. The Knicks currently hold Lessort’s NBA rights, having acquired them from Minnesota in a 2020 trade.
I can’t wait for Irving to “sell out” and get the vax so his “wokeness” will have no credibility.
First time I have ever heard of “wokeness” being associated with an antivaxxers and/or flat earthers
Congrats
He already “sold out” when he suited up last season. He was an advocate for not playing(in the bubble) because of systematic racism, yet suited up months later.
Kyrie Irving is just a huge pain in the butt about anything & everything. Won’t do a thing to help any type of team. Enjoy watching him play offense but delighted he’s not on our Celtics anymore! Glad he’s on the Nets, our competition.
He did win a chip with Cavs remember?
Yeah but that’s when he was younger and hadn’t completely come out of his crazy shell. Plus Lebron was the top dog on that team and probably kept that in check a little bit too.
Perhaps the Knicks may look like geniuses by not getting Durant and Irving. Having to deal with Irving seems like such a cost. Two years of them and the Nets have the same amount of rings the Knicks do.
@Padam
they had no choice in the matter. KD and Kyrie rejected them completely. So “geniuses”….um….no.
Of course they were rejected, but due to the team’s disarray, it may have actually worked in their favor.
So is it safe to say the Nets have a Big 2.5 until he smartens up and takes the vaccine?