Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving did not attend the team’s media day at Barclays Center on Monday because of New York City’s COVID-19 protocols, and he declined to discuss his vaccination status or his intentions in dealing with the matter.
Last month, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio issued an executive order that required New York-resident pro athletes that practice or play indoors to show proof of at least one vaccine shot.
Unable to attend the Brooklyn Nets’ media day, Kyrie Irving asked for privacy Monday when pressed about his vaccination status and availability for home games.
“I know that I’ll be there every day no matter what and just be present for my teammates as one of the leaders on the team and be there for my growing tribe off the court,” Irving said.
“I know the focus has to be at an all-time high, no distractions. This is the last thing I wanted to create, was more distractions and more hoopla and more drama around this. I’m doing my best to maintain this with good intentions and a good heart.”
Irving is expected to travel with the team to San Diego later Monday and participate in the team’s training camp this week, sources told ESPN.
On a bizarre day in which comedian David Letterman was present but Irving wasn’t, the All-Star guard spoke via Zoom through a monitor set up in the interview room at Barclays Center. New York has a mandate requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for athletes who play in or practice in the city.
Irving wouldn’t say if he has received a shot or if he intended to get one. If a player is not vaccinated, he would be forced to sit out the Nets’ home games.
“There’s just a lot of questions about what’s going on in the world of Kyrie and I think I’d love to just keep that private and handle it the right way with my team and go forward together with a plan,” Irving said. “So obviously I’m not able to be present there today, but that doesn’t mean that I’m putting any limits on the future of me being able to join the team.”
An NBA spokesman said the league didn’t plan to comment on whether any players had requested an exemption from the law. Last week, the NBA announced it declined an exemption request from Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins regarding a similar law in San Francisco. Each city would also have to issue an exemption for a player to play without vaccination.
“That’s on Kyrie and that’s his personal decision. What he does is not on us to speculate what may happen,” Nets star Kevin Durant said. “We trust in Kyrie, and I expect us to have our whole team at some point.”
“Obviously Ky is a huge part of what we’re trying to do,” teammate James Harden said.
Other Nets players at media day indicated Irving had played in recent pickup games with teammates. The new ordinance went into effect two weeks ago.
Last week, Nets general manager Sean Marks said there were a “couple of people” still not compliant with the new law but that the expectation was everyone would be ready by the start of camp. Monday, all Nets players were present except for Irving.
“We feel confident in the several days before camp everybody will be allowed to participate fully,” Marks said then.
The Nets are hosting their training camp in San Diego, so Irving would be able to participate. They will return to Brooklyn after playing their exhibition opener in Los Angeles next Sunday.
“Please, everything will be released at a due date and once we get this cleared up,” Irving said. “As of right now, please just respect my privacy regarding anything — home games, what’s happening with vaccination.”
The players who were asked about Irving said they weren’t concerned. That included Kevin Durant, who was asked after getting a few comedic questions such as why he was nicknamed “KD” from Letterman, who said he was reporting for Basketball Digest.
“It’s on Kyrie and that’s his personal decision,” Durant said. “What he does is not on us to speculate what may happen, but we trust in Kyrie. I expect us to have our whole team at some point.”
