Topline
Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving—who is unvaccinated against Covid-19—could play in his first home game of the season on Sunday following a shift to New York City’s vaccination policy, unnamed sources told The Athletic Wednesday, concluding a months-long holdout by Irving just weeks before the 2022 NBA playoffs are set to tip off.
Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving (11) sets up a play during the first half of an NBA basketball game … [+]
Key Facts
New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) will allow an exemption to the city’s current private-sector Covid-19 vaccine mandate for athletes and entertainers in workplaces, according to The Athletic.
Adams lifted the city’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate for indoor venues on March 7 but kept regulations in place for private-sector employees, meaning Nets players and other athletes who play for New York City-based teams were still required to be vaccinated in order to play in New York City arenas.
The mandate did not apply to athletes who played for other cities’ teams, meaning unvaccinated players on away teams could still play against the Nets at Barclays Center and against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden—a wrinkle NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in February was an “oddity” city officials should review.
The exemption will reportedly go into effect immediately, meaning Irving will be available for the Nets’ Sunday home game against the Charlotte Hornets.
The exemption will also apply to unvaccinated New York Yankees and New York Mets players, according to The Athletic, with the delayed MLB season set to begin April 7.
Adams’ office has not confirmed the policy shift, and did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
Key Background
Irving—who has declined to get vaccinated in a league with a vaccination rate above 90%—has been playing exclusively in away games since returning to the Nets midway through the 2021-22 season. Earlier this month, following the changes to Adams’ Covid-19 mandate, Irving was able to attend his team’s home game against the New York Knicks as a spectator, sitting in courtside seats as a fan rather than a Nets employee. Irving was able to enter the arena and move about freely and maskless, but the NBA fined the Nets $50,000 the following day for allowing Irving to enter his team’s locker room at halftime. The Nets currently sit as the no. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, with the NBA playoffs set to begin April 12.
What To Watch For
The Yankees’ home opener is set for April 7, and last week star outfielder Aaron Judge evaded a question about whether he’d been vaccinated against Covid-19. The MLB has the lowest Covid-19 vaccination rate among players of any of the four major U.S. professional sports leagues, according to ESPN.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/masonbissada/2022/03/23/nyc-will-reportedly-let-unvaccinated-nba-star-kyrie-irving-play-in-home-games/