“The thing that bugs me is Kyrie Irving is going to make $17 million sitting at home.”: Charles Barkley gets into heated debate with Kenny Smith over Nets star’s vaccination status

Akash Murty | 21/10/2021
"The thing that bugs me is Kyrie Irving is going to make $17 million sitting at home.": Charles Barkley gets into heated debate with Kenny Smith over Nets star's vaccination status

Ever so funny Charles Barkley is serious when it comes to the safety of others and he demands the same from Kyrie.

Kyrie Irving is among the 4% unvaccinated players according to NBA commissioner. Adam Silver came forward to suggest the Nets star to get the vaccine for his own and everybody else’s betterment.

But the Brooklyn Nets star seems adamant. He would still make more money than 84% of players in the league even if he doesn’t play a game this season and for now it seems like that’s what is Kyrie Irving looking to do.

Also read: “Kyrie Irving ain’t top 75? That’s good, he’s top 20 at least”: Andre Iguodala heaps huge praise on Nets star after his omission from NBA 75 list

Chuck hates what is going on in the NBA with just a few defaulters left to get the vaccine.

Charles Barkley gets into a heated vaccination debate with Kenny Smith

The 2-time NBA Champ and “Inside the NBA” crew member Kenny Smith thinks Kyrie cannot be forced to take the vaccine, Barkley, not so funny this time, angrily went against “the Jet”.


“First of all, you don’t get the vaccine for yourself. You get it for other people, I got vaccinated, and I can’t wait to get the booster. You get vaccinated for your family first, you get vaccinated for your teammates second. That’s what bothers me about the whole thing. I think everybody should get vaccinated.” Barkley said.

Even though the Nets can allow their All-Star point guard to play the away games in the cities where there are no vaccination mandates, they are not allowing him to be involved in any team activity unless he’s takes the vaccine.

“I really am proud of the Nets for putting their foot down, for saying, ‘No, we’re not going to deal with this half-on, half-off.’” Chuck, the 11-time All-Star said.

Whatever anybody thinks or makes of this situation, Kyrie’s stance seems firm as the Brooklyn Nets star has missed the pre-season games and their opening night loss against the defending Champions Milwaukee Bucks. He would still earn a massive 17 million not playing a single game this season. Only 75 NBA players make that amount or more playing every single night. And that’s what is bugging Chuck,

“The only thing that bugs me is he’s still going to make $17 million sitting at home.” Charles explained.

He went on to trash Brooklyn Nets outcast’s comparison with the late great Muhammad Ali, the boxing legend who refused to serve for the US army due to his beliefs and missed his peak years for the noble cause.

Also read: “Kyrie Irving is more committed to flag football than his current job as an NBA player”: NBA fans flame Nets guard after video of playing pickup football

Post Edited By: Samir Mehdi
Charles Barkley Kenny Smith kyrie irving

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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