Kyrie Irving was nowhere to be found during Tuesday night’s season opener in Milwaukee, a game the Nets were never competitive in, falling 127-104 to the reigning NBA champs. Irving, of course, remains unvaccinated against COVID-19, making him ineligible for Nets home games in Brooklyn. Rather than employ Irving as a part-time player, the Nets have decided to bench the polarizing point guard until he’s vaccinated.
Irving’s stubbornness has predictably been the source of much controversy with many questioning the mercurial 29-year-old’s motives, characterizing his stance as unnuanced, anti-science, needlessly contrarian and ultimately selfish toward the teammates he’s abandoning. However, others have taken his side, including former NBA All-Star (though he was arguably more successful overseas) Stephon Marbury, who opined that Muhammad Ali would be “proud” of Irving’s sacrifice. Long before Colin Kaepernick there was Ali, who, in accordance with his Muslim beliefs, refused to be drafted to the military during the Vietnam War, a decision that stripped him of his titles and cost the legendary boxer several years of his athletic prime.
Since Marbury’s remarks made the rounds on social media last week, many have pointed out Irving and Ali fought for much different causes and Ali was actually a staunch supporter of vaccines. Studio analyst Charles Barkley, who was recently named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, had plenty to say on the subject, sharing his thoughts on the Nets’ continuing Kyrie conundrum.
“You don’t get vaccinated just for yourself. Like Adam [Silver] said, you get vaccinated for your family first. You get vaccinated for your teammates second,” said Barkley, appearing on-site at Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum alongside TNT colleagues Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith. “I really am proud of the Nets for putting their foot down, saying, ‘No, we’re not going to deal with this half on, half off.’ The only thing that bugs me is he’s still going to make $17 million sitting at home.”
Barkley also wasn’t buying the Ali comparison, arguing Ali stood for something much greater. “People said he’s like Ali. First of all, don’t compare anybody to Ali,” said Barkley. “Ali went three years without boxing when he was the highest-paid athlete in the world. [Kyrie] is going to make $17 million for sitting at home.”
While other athletes who had previously identified as anti-vax have changed their tune (LeBron James, Cam Newton and Andrew Wiggins are all vaccinated now), Irving doesn’t seem any closer to meeting the Nets halfway.
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