Could Kyrie Irving actually be allowed to play in home games for the Brooklyn Nets in spite of New York's vaccine mandate? Well, mayoral candidate Eric Adams certainly seems to think so.
Adams, the Democratic bet who has emerged as the favorite to win the mayoral elections in November, recently stated that he's “extremely optimistic” about Irving potentially taking the court for the Nets this season. Adams also said that he believes the situation is “going to work itself out” (h/t Rich Calder and Khristina Narizhnaya of the New York Post).
Adams did not go into detail as to how he believes his prediction will come into play. Kyrie Irving has no intention of getting vaccinated, so does this mean that New York could ease up on its vaccine mandate if and when Adams takes the helm?
Currently, NYC Mayor Bill di Blasio has a mandate in place requiring individuals to have at least a single dose of vaccine in order to be allowed to enter indoor establishments, which includes the Nets' Barclays Center. Is Adams hinting here that he could scrap this policy entirely? Well, we can't really say, but what is certain is that Adams still intends to uphold the standards required to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus:
“I’m going to sit down with the Department of Health and I’m going to follow them in every area of dealing with COVID, every area of dealing with health issues.
“I’m going to follow their directions. If their directions call for something, that is what I’m going to follow,” he said.
Based on what we've heard from here so far, it doesn't sound like Irving is going to change his stance on the vaccine anytime soon. The Nets have also put their foot down on this issue, telling the All-Star point guard that he won't be able to play for the team unless he's a “full participant.” They are clearly at an impasse and it looks like the only way this could be resolved is if the city's mandate is lifted.
This also isn't the first time Adams has spoken optimistically about Kyrie's situation with the Nets. It looks like New York's future mayor is really hinting at something here:
“I believe the NBA and Kyrie, they should work out how they are going to address that, and I think it’s going to be up to them … and the city to come down with a real agreement, and at this time I think the NBA and Kyrie would be able to come to an agreement,” Adams previously said at another event in Queens.
This is a situation that's definitely worth monitoring. Just when it felt like all hope was lost for Kyrie Irving, the Nets star gets a massive boost from a rather unlikely source.
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