Much to NBA legend John Stockton’s dismay, it’s possible that mercurial point guard Kyrie Irving could be making his triumphant return to the court a lot sooner than any of us expected.
Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, there’s “renewed optimism” that the 29-year-old will return to the fold at some point this season—thanks in part to one of Irving’s best friends in the entire league, teammate Kevin Durant:
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It remains unclear whether Irving’s potential return this season would come via vaccination to meet New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement or by Brooklyn opening the door for him to play road games and practice at home, but sources have indicated a renewed belief that Irving could play this season after all. Nets players and coaches want to have Irving rejoin the team as soon as possible. In recent weeks, Irving and Kevin Durant, his co-star and close friend, have had increased communication about his fit on the team, breaking down the games, and about life in general, sources added. There appears to be an increased level of enthusiasm between the two superstars.
Increased communication is always a good thing, and considering James Harden hasn’t exactly looked like himself this season, I’m sure KD is clamoring behind the scenes for Kyrie to take the COVID-19 vaccine—something he’s refused to do thus far—and come collect a second Larry O’Brien trophy.
As we’ve previously reported at The Root, well… you can just read it again here:
New York City imposed COVID-19 vaccine mandates that require proof of vaccination in order to enter arenas, gyms, restaurants, and other indoor venues. As a result of these protocols, players from the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets—as well as the Golden State Warriors, since San Francisco has similar mandates in place—are prohibited from playing in any home games (there are 41 of them throughout the course of the NBA’s 82 game season) unless they are vaccinated.
Kyrie’s refusal to get vaccinated has made him ineligible to play in half of the Nets’ games, so instead of deploying him as a part-time weapon and risking team chemistry in the process, the Nets have prohibited him from playing or practicing at all until he gets vaccinated.
“Kyrie has made a personal choice, and we respect his individual right to choose,” Nets general manager Sean Marks said back in October. “Currently, the choice restricts his ability to be a full-time member of the team, and we will not permit any member of our team to participate with part-time availability. It is imperative that we continue to build chemistry as a team and remain true to our long-established values of togetherness and sacrifice.”
While the Nets do have the best record in the East at 19-8 despite Kyrie missing the entire season thus far, his return would easily propel Brooklyn to the upper echelon of the league—where the Golden State Warriors (21-5) and Phoenix Suns (21-4) squander their days preying on innocent women and children.
I just hope that for the sake of Kevin Durant’s sanity, that Kyrie eventually plays this season. Because KD went through enough hell trying to survive without help against the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2021 NBA Playoffs, and I’d love nothing more than to see Brooklyn in the NBA Finals this season where they belong.