Marcus Brown ’22
To many NBA fans, Kyrie Irving has been one of the most impactful players of the last decade. His ball-handling has revolutionized the game of basketball all across the country, not to mention his accolades: number one overall draft pick in 2011, 2011-12 rookie of the year, 7x All-Star, and 2016 NBA champion. It is no debate that “Uncle Drew” is among the most skilled and accomplished players of recent years. For this reason, most NBA viewers were stunned by the news that he will sit out of the 2021-22 NBA season instead of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
As a player for the Brooklyn Nets, Kyrie’s home arena is the Barclays Center. Given that the arena is located in New York City, the team is subject to the city’s vaccine mandate for all indoor gatherings. This means that if Kyrie Irving does not get vaccinated, at the very least, he would not be eligible to play the 41 home games of the team’s 82 total games. Soon after the beginning of the pre-season, the Nets General Manager Sean Marks doubled down, stating, “Given the evolving nature of the situation and after thorough deliberation, we have decided Kyrie Irving will not play or practice with the team until he is eligible to be a full participant.” Additionally, for each home game that the superstar misses, he will be fined $381,181.22. Assuming he misses all 41 games, Kyrie Irving will give up on a total of 15.6 million dollars. This astounding number has fans bewildered by his choice, questioning how long Kyrie will hold out on his decision.
The Salesian Spectator 