“I’ve always said I don’t want to make Kyrie Irving and his playing time a political issue”: Joe Tsai says Nets ownership didn’t want their relationship with their All-Star point guard to sour over politics

The Brooklyn Nets are bringing back Kyrie Irving as a part-time player outside of New York. Kyrie has yet to obey the city’s vaccine mandate to play home games.

Kyrie Irving made news earlier this season due to his vaccine hesitancy against New York city’s Covid vaccine mandate for players. Due to that controversy, the Brooklyn Nets sidelined him this season.

Kyrie trade rumours started to speculate as the season continued. But now Nets have given Kyrie the green light to play in the away games. Many questions can arise given the context of the situation.

Brooklyn Nets owner, Joe Tsai addressed them by saying, ” We’re trying to be practical. And I’ve always said I don’t want to make this a political issue”.

#Nets owner Joe Tsai on bringing Kyrie Irving back part time: “We’re trying to be practical. And I’ve always said I don’t want to make this a political issue. My only religion is to win games and win the championship.” #NBA @joetsai1999 https://t.co/7pjIDyWL81

— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) December 18, 2021

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What will be the impact of Kyrie Irving returning to the Brooklyn Nets?

The Nets are currently first seeded in the Eastern Conference with a 4 game winning streak. A lot of it has to do with Kevin Durant‘s MVP like performance so far this season.

Despite all of that, the Nets are now shorthanded as they have only 9 healthy players left on the roster. 7 players are out due to health and safety protocols due to Covid-19.

Kyrie’s comeback can help the team in such a crisis. Previously the Net’s head coach, Steve Nash said, ” We just focus on our group and getting better every single day and if we get the gift of (Kyrie’s) return, we’ll be ecstatic but we can’t count on it. We can’t wait for him. We have to get to work and get better”.

Irving being an NBA champion and 7-times All-Star will definitely increase the championship hopes of this team. But given the unvaccinated status of Kyrie and the surge in covid cases in the USA, the results are yet to be determined.

Also Read – “How about a swap between Damian Lillard and Kyrie Irving?”: Jay Williams proposes a trade that would be ideal for both the All-Star guards