The Brooklyn Nets could be about to get a boost with superstar Kyrie Irving becoming eligible for home games.
Kyrie Irving has had a controversial season so far. He was initially omitted from the Nets roster due to his decision to remain unvaccinated.
Brooklyn then brought him back, but he could only play road games as a result of New York’s vaccine mandate.
With other major cities opening up, the news suggests the vaccine mandate could be phased out in New York.
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ Wednesday comments are the clearest sign yet that Kyrie Irving will soon be available for every Nets game for the rest of the season.
“I can’t wait to get it done,” Adams told reporters on Wednesday.
“I take my hat off to New Yorkers — through masks, vaccines, through social distancing, we were hit with the uncertainty, the fear of COVID. I’m really proud of how we responded as New Yorkers. And every morning I meet with my health professionals. Because I always stated I’m going to follow the science. I’m not going to get ahead of the science, because I’m ready to get ahead of all of this and get back to a level of normalcy.
“But they’re giving us clear instructions, they’ve given us benchmarks, we’re going to follow those benchmarks. But I look forward in the next few weeks of going through a real transformation — that I don’t have to wonder what you look like … We’re going to get the city back up and operating. And we’re going to be rolling out some things in the next day or so on how we’re going to carry that out.”
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“I will say that he’s been extremely locked in,” head coach Steve Nash said of Irving.
“Kyrie’s been great on the practice floor. He’s been great in film sessions. He’s been creating dialogue over aspects of our play. So I sense a real focus and urgency from him. And so if that’s any indication, I would say he is getting excited at the prospect of being allowed to play in all our games and hopefully in the short term.”
