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“My respect level for Adam Silver is at a whole new level”: Kyrie Irving sings the NBA Commissioner’s praise for standing up to the New York COVID-19 vaccine mandate

Samir Mehdi
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“My respect level for Adam Silver is at a whole new level”: Kyrie Irving sings the NBA Commissioner's praise for standing up to the New York COVID-19 vaccine mandate

Kyrie Irving is grateful to Adam Silver for standing up to the New York City vaccine mandate following win over Bucks. 

Kyrie Irving has been a peculiar case for the Brooklyn Nets this ‘22 NBA season. Due to him being unvaccinated, he hasn’t been able to play home games at Barclay’s Center. Games at Madison Square Garden and any arena that has state mandates against the unvaccinated have led to the Nets guard not being allowed to play. 

In the mere 15 games that he’s played, Kyrie Irving has averaged 24.1 points on 45% shooting from the field. Though it is a small sample size, the fact that KAI is ready to deliver for the Nets after several absences is quite telling of just how good he would be if he got into a rhythm.

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Irving dropped a season high, 38 points against the defending champion, Milwaukee Bucks, at Fiserv Forum. Seth Curry and the former Celtics All-Star looked like a formidable backcourt duo, with them constantly switching their man on offense. 

With the Nets picking up a stellar victory tonight, having Irving on their squad consistently will prove to be quite the asset. 

Kyrie Irving is appreciative of Adam Silver for standing up to the NYC vaccine mandate. 

Great news for the Brooklyn Nets this past week as New York mayor, Eric Adams, announced that NYC is planning on phasing out the vaccine mandate in the coming weeks. This would mean that Kyrie Irving would be allowed to play at Barclay’s and MSG with no restriction.

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Adam Silver stood up for players who haven’t been allowed to play due to the mandate a.k.a Kyrie Irving recently saying:  

“This law in New York, the oddity of it to me is that it only applies to home players. I think if ultimately that rule is about protecting people who are in the arena, it doesn’t quite make sense to me that an away player who is unvaccinated can play at Barclays but a home player can’t.” 

Kyrie Irving showed love to Silver in last night’s postgame presser, saying, “My respect level for him went to a whole new level, he took one for the team.”

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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