Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving will not be at Monday's Media Day due to health and safety protocols, but he does plan on joining the team for training camp in San Diego, according to ESPN's Zach Lowe and Brian Windhorst.
Irving is reportedly not vaccinated for COVID-19, and he was a main subject of an explosive Rolling Stone report about the remaining unvaxxed NBA players. He has come under fire for this stance on the vaccine, but he apparently won't be dodging the media entirely. The Nets star plans to address the media via Zoom later in the day, per The Athletic's Alex Schiffer.
Because of Irving's unvaccinated status, he currently can't play or practice at home due to the rules in New York. It's unclear how this will play out as the season begins in under a month. Nets star Kevin Durant isn't worried about it, but this will be a talking point until the situation is resolved.
Brooklyn is the heavy title favorite going into the 2021-22 season thanks to the ridiculous amount of talent on the roster. The Nets nearly made the Eastern Conference Finals last season despite injuries to Irving and James Harden against the Milwaukee Bucks, with Durant looking like the best player in the world in his return from an Achilles injury.
One must figure more injury problems will be the only thing to derail Brooklyn again this season. All of this Irving drama obviously isn't ideal and an unwelcome distraction, but the other Nets players are ready to set that aside for now and get ready for the season. It will be interesting to see if Irving holds firm and doesn't get the vaccine, which could ultimately cost him a lot of games and money.
Stay tuned.
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