Kyrie Irving could possibly return to the Brooklyn Nets as a full-time player in the coming weeks.
Irving was restricted from participating in home games at Barclays Center due to New York City’s vaccination mandate that required individuals to be fully vaccinated to attend large indoor events. This prohibited the unvaccinated Irving from playing home games for the Brooklyn Nets and away games against the New York Knicks. But as The Athletic‘s Shams Charania reported, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has a plan to scratch this mandate.
When asked if New York has a plan to phase out the vaccine mandate like other major cities, Adams replied quite simply,
“Yes, and I can’t wait to get it done.”
Although there’s no timetable on when Mayor Adams plans to phase out the vaccine mandate, the verbal confirmation that New York City will do it is significant. Expect more details to emerge in the coming days.
While the Nets only have 23 games left on their schedule, having Irving full-time at some point will certainly help, as they own a subpar 13-15 home record. This will have ripple effects come playoff time, as Irving will now be eligible to play every game instead of every other.
Brooklyn — Uncle Drew is back.
