Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving went on Instagram Live on Wednesday evening to say that he’s not retiring and that he is unvaccinated against COVID-19. “I chose to be unvaccinated,” Irving said, “and that is my choice and I would ask you to respect it.”
“You think I really want to give up on my dream to go after a championship?” Irving said. “You think I really just want to just give up my job? You think I really just want to sit at home and not go after the things with my teammates that I’ve been able to grow with to learn with?”
It was Irving’s first time speaking since the Nets announced Tuesday that the seven-time All-Star would not practice or play until he can be a full-time participant with the team. General manager Sean Marks, who acknowledged Tuesday that Irving is not vaccinated against COVID-19 — making him ineligible for home games due to New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine protocols — said that he and owner Joe Tsai made the decision.
Losing Irving is a “big hit,” Nets guard James Harden said Wednesday, but he still believes Brooklyn is on a path toward a championship.
In his first public statements since the team’s decision regarding Irving on Tuesday, Harden said he has had conversations with Marks, coach Steve Nash and the Nets’ other two stars, Kevin Durant and Irving. He said they respect Irving’s beliefs, but “we have a job to do.”
“Individually, myself, I’m still wanting to set myself up for a championship,” Harden said. “And I feel like the entire organization is on the same path. And we’re all as a collective unit. We’ll keep pushing forward and we’ll try to do our best every single day to get better and keep going as a collective unit.”
While the team would prefer to have Irving on the team, the focus is on the players in the locker room “putting in the work every single day,” Harden said.
Nash, who said he was involved in the decision, added it was a “tenuous situation” to have Irving “in and out like that.” The guard is currently only eligible to play in Brooklyn’s road games.
“It was a difficult decision,” Nash said. “But I think it was a sound one and one that makes complete sense to everyone. We are just going to have to move on. And, if things change, it will be incredible to have him back in the fold.”
The team opens the regular season next Tuesday against the defending NBA champion Bucks.
(Photo: Steven Ryan / Getty Images)
