The Brooklyn Nets are the heavy favorites to take home the Larry O'Brien Trophy this season. But early on, the biggest thing standing between the Nets and the NBA title is COVID-19 vaccination. Not you, Milwaukee Bucks. Sorry.
It's already widely known that Nets guard Kyrie Irving rejects vaccination the way wise people reject pineapples on pizza. The NBA has thrown down the hammer on players who will say no to local COVID-19 mandates, announcing they will not be paid for missed games.
As it stands, Irving cannot play in Nets' home games as well as against the Golden State Warriors and the New York Knicks because of their vaccination protocols. According to Brian Lewis of the New York Post, the All-Star playmaker is set to lose not a few dollars.
Irving could stand to lose roughly $400,000 for each missed game. Current city mandates in both New York and San Francisco would prevent Irving (or any other unvaccinated player) from playing home games in those arenas. In the case of Irving—whose Nets play twice at the Knicks and once at the Warriors—that conceivably could total 44 games.
If our sophomoric mathematical skills are accurate, Irving could lose as much as $17.6 million simply because he doesn't want to get vaccinated. If our sophomoric logical skills are accurate, $17.6 million is a lot of money. He could use it to spend on important stuff for the Nets—like sacks of sage to burn, for instance.
Follow Us
Subscribe