Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving cannot play or practice with the team until he is eligible to be a full participant and meet local COVID-19 vaccination mandates.
"Kyrie has made a personal choice, and we respect his individual right to choose," Nets General Manager Sean Marks said Tuesday. "Currently the choice restricts his ability to be a full-time member of the team, and we will not permit any member of our team to participate with part-time availability."
Marks continued, "Our championship goals for the season have not changed, and to achieve these goals each member of our organization must pull in the same direction. We are excited for the start of the season and look forward to a successful campaign that will make the borough of Brooklyn proud."
Brian Lewis of the New York Post was among those who tweeted out the statement.
According to ESPN, the vaccine mandate in New York City requires everyone to have proof of at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot to enter indoor gyms. The mandate applies to Barclays Center, home of the Nets.
Although the Nets are prevented by law from revealing whether a person has been vaccinated, people around the league understand why Irving will not play.
The ESPN report was headlined: "Brooklyn Nets say Kyrie Irving won't play, practice until eligible under local COVID-19 vaccination mandate."
NBA players who miss games due to being unvaccinated will not be paid.
Teammates Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin have publicly supported Irving's stance.
"We want him here for the whole thing," Durant said before Marks' announcement. "We want him for games, home games, practices, away games, shootarounds, all of it. So hopefully, we can figure this thing out."
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