The Brooklyn Nets are poised to be one of the league’s major title contenders this coming season.
However, their odds of winning the championship will take a hit if star Kyrie Irving cannot play in any of the team’s home games due to his COVID-19 vaccination status.
Nets head coach Steve Nash recently acknowledged that the team is expecting that Irving will indeed miss a significant number of matches.
Steve Nash on Kyrie Irving: "I think we recognize he’s not playing home games. We’re going to have to for sure play without him this year. So it just depends on when, where and how much." #Nets #NBA
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) October 10, 2021
New York City is one of the cities that restrict unvaccinated individuals from entering sports arenas.
This means that the seven-time NBA All-Star will be unable play in all of Brooklyn’s home games as long as he remained unvaccinated.
Irving overcame one similar hurdle, as he was recently granted the ability to practice at the team’s facility. He seemingly issued a strong statement in response to that personal victory.
However, it seems unlikely that the rules barring him from appearing in home games will change.
Of course, the Nets organization would rather have him available to play in every home game this season. It looks like the only way for that to happen is for Irving to agree to receive the shot.
