Brooklyn Nets star guard Kyrie Irving received’t play for the group throughout the 2021-22 season so long as he stays unvaccinated in opposition to COVID-19, the group introduced.
“Given the evolving nature of the state of affairs and after thorough deliberation, we’ve got determined Kyrie Irving won’t play or apply with the group till he’s eligible to be a full participant,” Nets common supervisor Sean Marks mentioned in a press release. “Kyrie has made a private alternative, and we respect his particular person proper to decide on. At the moment the alternative restricts his means to be a full-time member of the group, and we won’t allow any member of our group to take part with part-time availability. It’s crucial that we proceed to construct chemistry as a group and stay true to our long-established values of togetherness and sacrifice.”
Irving hasn’t been in a position to take part in Nets practices and preseason dwelling video games to date this yr as a result of non-NBA requirements for unvaccinated individuals in New York Metropolis.
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Irving was scheduled to make $35.2 million this season from the Nets, and the Nets say he’ll still be paid for the road games that he’s technically eligible to play in.
If Irving doesn’t get vaccinated for the whole NBA season, he would lose roughly $15 million from the Nets, in accordance with ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
Irving is also at risk of dropping cash he earns from his Nike
NKE,
sponsorship deal.
Manufacturers like Nike and Adidas
ADS,
ADDYY,
routinely embody reduction clauses of their contracts with athletes that shield them if the athlete misses important taking part in time from or retires. Irving earns roughly $11 million yearly from Nike, in accordance with Forbes.
Throughout an Instagram
FB,
Dwell on Wednesday Irving addresses his state of affairs with the Nets.
“The monetary penalties, I do know I don’t wish to even do this,” Irving mentioned. “However it’s actuality that in an effort to be in New York Metropolis, in an effort to be on a group, I’ve to be vaccinated. I selected to be unvaccinated, and that was my alternative, and I’d ask you all to only respect that alternative.
He went on to say, “This isn’t a political factor; this isn’t concerning the NBA, not about any group. That is about my life and what I’m selecting to do.”
