Kyrie Irving’s Eligibility Moving Forward
Kyrie Irving’s situation has controlled NBA headlines all season long and there is still no resolution to this on-going madness of Irving’s eligibility to play leading up to the playoffs.
New York City is not permitting their own unvaccinated athletes to play in home games, meaning Knicks and Nets players that are unvaccinated cannot play in either Madison Square Garden or Barclays Center.
However, visiting players can step foot on the court and play. This is just the first mind-blowing fact that makes zero sense.
The second is that Kyrie Irving is now allowed to enter Barclays Center and Madison Square Garden and he is even allowed to sit in courtside seats as an unvaccinated guest without a mask, but as soon as he steps on the court as a player, this is considered a “health violation” and a violation of the city’s vaccine mandate for businesses.
LATEST NBA NEWS: How Karl-Anthony Towns Reached Wolves’ Record 60 Points
Yeah, I don’t know, I really do not have an explanation for this one!
The rule and mandate make absolutely zero sense and it is kind of scary that the people appointed to guide our community does not see a problem with this contradictory rule in place.
Nonetheless, Kyrie Irving is still ineligible to play in games in New York City this season and he is also not permitted to travel to Toronto given Canada’s travel policy related to the vaccine.
LATEST NBA NEWS: How Karl-Anthony Towns Reached Wolves’ Record 60 Points
Of their 13 remaining games during the regular season, Kyrie Irving is eligible to play in just three games in Memphis, Miami, and Atlanta. Something needs to be done about this mandate in place not only because it makes no sense, but because the Nets desperately need Kyrie Irving on the floor.
His value to this franchise is not matched and Irving has proven this over the last few games he has played in. Against the Charlotte Hornets on March 8, Kyrie Irving scored 50 points on 15-19 shooting, 9-12 from three-point range, one of the most efficient games in NBA history.
Irving then went on to score 22 points against the 76ers in the Nets’ next game, followed by a career-high and franchise-record 60 points on 20-31 shooting, 8-12 from three-point range, in the Nets’ recent victory on Tuesday night against the Magic.
LATEST NBA NEWS: How Karl-Anthony Towns Reached Wolves’ Record 60 Points
One of the best pure scorers at the guard position in the NBA, the Nets have made it very clear that they are a true playoff threat with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant both healthy and on the floor together.
However, Kyrie Irving’s decision not to get vaccinated at the beginning of the year and New York City not being willing to change their vaccine mandate to allow Irving to play may just cost the Nets their chance at winning their first title ever.
