NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Count Mayor Bill de Blasio as the latest official to weigh in on Kyrie Irving's vaccination status.
The mayor on Wednesday urged the Brooklyn Nets superstar to get vaccinated for his own health, success and the success of the team.
"We want all players vaccinated. So, I'm a Brooklynite. I'm a Nets fan. I really want to see Kyrie get vaccinated. I want to see the whole team stay healthy and safe the whole season," de Blasio said at his daily press briefing.
The mayor's indoor vaccine mandate has kept the Nets' guard from attending team events in person in the city. On Monday, Irving appeared virtually at the team's media day, asking reporters to respect his privacy over his vaccination status.
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"I would love to just keep that private and handle that the right way with my team and go forward with a plan," he said.
De Blasio pointed to fellow NBA greats who have gotten vaccinated, including Giannis Attentekoumpo, Damian Lillard and retired Hall-of-Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
"I'm a fan of Kyrie. I would just appeal to him: get vaccinated," de Blasio said earlier in the day during a CNN appearance. "Your fans want to see you. We all want you back. Your teammates want you back. Look, there are teams now that are 100% vaccinated. That's a great example to everybody else."
Abdul-Jabbar told Rolling Stone last weekend he had no tolerance for anti-vaccine players in the NBA.
"The NBA should insist that all players and staff are vaccinated or remove them from the team," the NBA's all-time leading scorer said. "There is no room for players who are willing to risk the health and lives of their teammates, the staff and the fans simply because they are unable to grasp the seriousness of the situation or do the necessary research."
Irving's vaccination status has drawn comments from officials across the globe. GOP Sen. Ted Cruz, of Texas, tweeted Wednesday that he sides with Irving, as well as other NBA players who have so far not gotten vaccinated.
Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, even referenced Irving during a session of Spanish parliament Wednesday.
"There is a problem in the NBA itself. There are several players who have spoken out against vaccinations," Sanchez said. "There is an NBA star who says he does not want to be vaccinated because there is a conspiracy to vaccinate black people and connect them with a computer that has a Satanic plan. This is verbatim."
