Kyrie Irving has been an interesting character over the last few years. He fancies himself as a free-thinker and when it comes to topics like COVID-19 and the vaccine, he has been known to dish out some controversial opinions. Of course, last season, he refused to get the vaccine and it ultimately led to him missing a lot of time out on the court.
In the offseason, Kyrie tried to get a long-term extension with the Nets, but they refused to give him one due to his propensity for missing time. Kyrie was not happy about this, and it almost led to a trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, albeit, such a trade never happened.
Today, Kyrie got to speak during the Nets’ media day. It was an opportunity for Kyrie to explain himself to the media, and surprisingly, he was quite cordial with reporters. That said, Kyrie did make sure to clarify everything he lost this summer by sticking to his guns and not getting vaccinated. Included in this was a four-year, $100 million + deal.
"I didn't appreciate how me being unvaccinated came to be a stigma within my career that I don't want to play, or that I'm willing to give up everything to be a voice for the voiceless,” Kyrie said.
Kyrie only has one year left on his Nets deal which means he needs to make it work this year, otherwise, the team won’t have him back. No matter what, it should be an interesting year in Brooklyn.
