Kyrie Irving turned heads as he watched his Brooklyn Nets take on the Knicks, which sparked conversations about Irving still not being allowed to play despite some mandates in New York recently being relaxed.
On March 7, New York City mayor Eric Adams removed the city's public sector vaccine and mask mandates, allowing unvaccinated people to enter bars, gyms, and large venues like the Barclays Center. However, the private sector vaccine mandate remains in place, which requires all employees at New York-based businesses to be vaccinated. Since Kyrie is not vaccinated, he can be at the Barclays Center as a spectator, but he won't be able to play for the Nets.
LeBron felt the rules were confusing, as he responded to a tweet that read, "Kyrie being allowed to chill court side and watch Duke play and then watch his own Nets team play but not being allowed to HOOP himself is absolutely ridiculous on all levels of common sense lol."
LeBron wrote, "FACTS FACTS FACTS!! It literally makes ABSOLUTELY ZERO SENSE!!! They say if common sense was common then we’d all have it. Ain’t that the truth. #FreeKyrie."
Kevin Durant also addressed the situation with reporters after sharing a moment with Kyrie before the game. Durant stated, "Pretty much everybody in the world is confused at this point. Early on in the season, people didn't understand what was going on but now, it just looks stupid. Eric [Adams], you gotta figure this out."
Eric Adams addressed the situation with Kyrie in late February, telling CNBC's "Squawk on the Street," "It would send the wrong message just to have an exception for one player when we're telling countless number of New York City employees, 'If you don't follow the rules, you won't be able to be employed."
Adams added, "Businesses have their vaccine mandate. City employees have their vaccine mandates. I have to follow the rules. And trust me, I want Kyrie on the court. We are here right now opening our city because of vaccine mandates. We can't close down again."
