NBA star Kevin Durant called New York City’s private-sector COVID-19 vaccine mandate, which is preventing teammate Kyrie Irving from playing, “ridiculous.”
Despite Durant’s 53 points while carrying the Brooklyn Nets to its third straight win with a 110-107 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday, frustrations rose to the surface after the game, and Durant blasted New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
“It’s ridiculous,” Durant said, according to ESPN. “I don’t understand it at all. There’s a few people in our arena that’s unvaxxed, right? They lifted all of that in our arena, right? So I don’t get it. … I don’t get it. It just feels like at this point now, somebody’s trying to make a statement or a point to flex their authority. But everybody out here is looking for attention, and that’s what I feel like the mayor wants right now, is some attention. But he’ll figure it out soon. He better.”
Prior to the game, Adams responded to a heckler during a press conference affirming that Irving could play — if he was vaccinated.
“Kyrie can play tomorrow. Get vaccinated.”
NYC Mayor Eric Adams responded to a heckler asking why Kyrie Irving still can’t play at the Barclays Center.
(via @Jesseperel10)pic.twitter.com/Y2VrKa5J9r
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 13, 2022
Irving was present at the game inside Barclays Center but sat in a courtside seat. Nets’ head coach Steve Nash said Irving joined the team in the locker room at halftime, noting it was not a distraction to the team’s performance.
“It doesn’t really affect us,” Nash said. “We’re used to stuff like that. We just tried to stay focused and win the game, and we know there’s the oddities to everything, but we’re locked in on the task at hand.”
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Kyrie Irving sitting courtside for the Nets-Knicks game, in a game he can’t play in because of NYC private sector Vaxx mandate pic.twitter.com/9vgG1rEBq2
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) March 13, 2022
Irving was shown on the video board inside Barclays Center. As the crowd applauded, he pointed to his heart in a seeming appreciative gesture.
Kyrie Irving purchased courtside seats to support his teammates today at home.
(h/t @malika_andrews) pic.twitter.com/2KspS3FSqT
— ESPN (@espn) March 13, 2022
When Irving arrived, Durant said he was confused.
“I was at the free-throw line, I think, when he walked in, and me and [Andre Drummond] looked at each other and was like, ‘Yo, this is unreal,’” Durant said. “I’ve never seen nothing like this before. We just smiled.”
The question as to whether Irving will play this season at home looms as the Nets attempt to make a push toward a championship.
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Durant added a plea to Adams during his postgame remarks, saying: “Eric, you got to figure something out, man, because it’s looking crazy, especially on national TV, and he can come to the game, but not play — come on, man. Hey, yo, Eric.”
