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“Extremely proud of you Kyrie Irving!”: JR Smith takes to Twitter to give props to the Nets star amidst vaccine concerns

Samir Mehdi
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“Extremely proud of you Kyrie Irving!”: JR Smith takes to Twitter to give props to the Nets star amidst vaccine concerns

Kyrie Irving receives support amidst his vaccine concerns from his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate, JR Smith. 

Kyrie Irving has been the talk of the league ever since media day due to the fact that he’s unvaccinated against COVID-19. Fast-forward to present day and the Brooklyn Nets guard has still not gotten the shot. This has resulted in the Brooklyn Nets General Manager releasing a statement that forbids Irving from playing or practicing with the Nets. 

This drastic measure was taken in order to build chemistry between players who are going to be with the team full-time. Important figures within the Nets organization such as Kevin Durant, Sean Marks, and even Joe Tsai have expressed their desire to see Kyrie Irving back on the court for Brooklyn.

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Kyrie even took it upon himself to clear up any confusion regarding his status by taking to his Instagram live. Here he would go on to laugh at the notion that he would ever give up basketball over his vaccine beliefs, chucking aside the notion that would retire if not allowed to play. 

JR Smith expresses how proud he is of Kyrie Irving on Twitter. 

Quite nearly everybody in the NBA landscape has given their two cents about the Kyrie Irving situation. JR Smith adds his name to this seemingly never-ending list of basketball personalities as he takes to Twitter to shout out his former Cleveland Cavalier teammate. 

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JR Smith isn’t the first to actually give props to Kyrie Irving for his stance on remaining to stay unvaccinated. During the aforementioned Instagram live he did, Stephon Marbury said that Muhammed Ali would be proud of Irving. Coincidentally, Jason Whitlock said something in a similar vain. 

Seems as though the conversation regarding the vaccine has shifted from being a public safety issue to being one that is a personal choice. This doesn’t seem like the right approach for handling a virus that cased a pandemic but it’s something that led to a bit of peace to ensue between both sides of this rather odd spectrum. 

About the author

Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi

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Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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