Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson is evidently an advocate for the COVID-19 vaccine. He's received both doses and is urging every single player in the NBA to do the same. Amid the Kyrie Irving saga, Johnson gave his brutally honest take on the situation:

“You have said to your teammates, ‘I’m gonna be there for you,'” Johnson told CBS . “Well, you can’t be there if you don’t get vaccinated. You’re letting them down. And then that hurts our chances of winning a championship. I would never do that to my teammates. Never.”

Magic Johnson certainly has a point. To be frank, Irving could very well be denying the Nets a chance at a title because of his decision. We saw Brooklyn get completely outplayed on opening night against the Milwaukee Bucks and it was evident they missed Kyrie's scoring and playmaking.

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He's not the only player who refuses to get the jab, either. Bradley Beal is also in the same boat, but there are no mandates in Washington DC so it's not affecting his availability for the Wizards. But for Irving, it's a much different story. New York City has stern rules when it comes to the vaccine. Magic Johnson reiterated that if these players get the shot, it will encourage others to do the same because they're looked at as role models:

“I got my two shots and made sure I put it out on social media. I wanted, especially my community, to know, first of all, it’s safe. And the players, again, people listen to them, they follow them. That’s very important.”

Magic's former teammate, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, also voiced his displeasure in Kyrie and other unvaccinated individuals. It's still unknown if Irving will cave and get the vaccine, but for the sake of his team, it has to happen.