Nets guard Kyrie Irving reflects on the season gone by and how uncertain his future was with respect to NYC’s COVID mandate.
Advertisement
One of the most controversial athletes in American sports history, Kyrie Irving, dominated the headlines this season despite playing a mere 29-games. The Nets superstar had refused to get vaccinated, which was against NYC’s COVID mandate, thus barring him from playing home games.
Sean Marks and co, who had earlier refused to let Irving be a part-time player, overturned their decision mid-way through the season. With a lot of hype surrounding his return, Irving would play his first game against the Indiana Pacers, scoring an efficient 22-points and getting the W.
Though he looked rusty initially, Irving caught hold of the ropes quickly. The former champion had two 50-point games, including a career-high 60-points. Fortunately for Irving, the newly elected NY mayor Eric Adams would bend the COVID mandate for athletes and entertainers.
During a recent interaction with Eddie Gonzalez on the Boardroom podcast, Irving revealed the uncertainty he felt during the season and why he could never get acclimated.
Kyrie Irving addresses his part-time availability during the 2021-22 season.
The NBA had never experienced a situation such as the one that took place in Brooklyn. Irving’s refusal to get vaccinated earned him a lot of flak. Nevertheless, the seven-time All-Star refused to budge from his stance, making the Nets organization go back on their words of not allowing him as a part-time.
During his recent appearance on the Boardroom podcast, Irving addressed dealing with several uncertainties during the season. The Nets guard had a tough time catching up, playing a limited no of games, and never getting the feeling of being back post a long break from playing.
“I never felt like I was back,” said Irving. “There was nothing to lose, it was only the journey to enjoy at that point of time because I was wondering at home what my future was going to look like, whether I was going to be traded, released, or get the opportunity of being on another team. How I was going to spin this for myself in a positive way but I never felt like myself throughout this season because I am usually sustaining a level of growth throughout the year instead of trying to catch up with everybody that’s been playing for 4-5 months.”
And wasn’t Irving right? the lack of continuity did come to haunt the Nets come playoff time. Steve Nash and his men were swept 4-0 in the first round of the playoffs by the Celtics, shocking millions.
It’s a little unusual to see Irving complain about uncertainty seeing his track record of missing games for reasons best known to him.
