Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving says he was aware of the consequences of choosing not to be vaccinated against COVID-19, but not "prepared for them," after the team said this would prevent him from being able to play or practice.
The Brooklyn Nets in October announced that Irving's "personal choice" regarding his COVID-19 vaccine status "restricts his ability to be a full-time member of the team," and he therefore could not play or practice because "we will not permit any member of our team to participate with part-time availability." Despite this, Irving is now returning to the Nets in a part-time capacity.
As he made a return to practice, Irving told reporters he understood the team's previous decision.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"I understood their choice to say if you're not going to be fully vaccinated, then you can't be a full participant," he said. "I knew the consequences. I wasn't prepared for them by no stretch of the imagination coming into this season."
Irving can now only play road games due to New York's vaccine rules preventing him from being able to play at the Barclays Center, CNN reports. He said it's been "relatively tough to watch from the sideline" but that he would be "grateful for the opportunity" to play, "even if it's just on the road for away games."
Irving previously defended his refusal to get vaccinated, saying, "I chose to be unvaccinated, and that was my choice, and I would ask y'all just to respect that choice."
-
Mermaiding: the underwater subculture on the riseUnder the Radar Cosplay meets fitness in an escapist fin-omenon that's making waves around the world
-
Delhi's dogs earn Supreme Court reprieveIN THE SPOTLIGHT After an outcry from the public and animal rights activists, India's Supreme Court walks back a controversial plan to round the city's stray dog population into shelters
-
8 hotels with ace tennis courtsThe Week Recommends Bring your A game
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
