Kyrie Irving is scheduled to return to play for the Brooklyn Nets, only for the away games. NBA Legend Shaquille O’Neal gave his strong reaction to this situation on his “The Big Podcast” show.
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After a long wait, the Brooklyn Nets have finally allowed Kyrie Irving to return to the team, despite his unvaccinated status. The only catch here is, Kyrie won’t be practicing or playing in New York City. He can only participate in the away games.
Meanwhile, Kyrie was sent to the NBA’s health and safety protocols for an uncertain time. As the league is contemplating the message the Nets are sending due to this part-time deal, Shaquille O’Neal questions the shifting stance of the Nets on Irving.
On his podcast, Shaq jokingly said “I will take that deal right now for the Atlanta Hawks.’
“They panicked for no reason”: Shaq on the Nets changing their stance on Kyrie Irving
The Nets had to postpone their 3rd straight game since 10 of their players entered into protocols. James Harden and Paul Milshap were cleared recently to play against the LA Lakers this Christmas.
Players like Kevin Durant and LaMarcus Aldridge are still in the protocol. However, the Nets are still the top-seeded in the Eastern Conference. According to Shaq, it was a panic call by the Nets to bring Kyrie back.
The 4-times NBA Champion said, “They panicked for no reason. They sounded like they are no.7 in the league. You are in the 1st place. Dummies! You don’t need him”. Shaq was on the side of trading Kyrie but looking at how things played out, he “doesn’t respect that”.
A part-time NBA is something unheard of. The last time something like that happened was in 1962 when Terry Dischinger played for Chicago Zephyrs. He used to play only on the weekends and holidays since he was pursuing a Chemical Engineering degree. He ended up winning the Rookie of the year by averaging 25.5 pts, 8.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 57 games.
Looks like Kyrie will be running short on expert advice for the part-time work. With many players entering into the health and safety protocol, divided opinions on his stance on vaccines; Uncle Drew has a lot to crossover.
