Nets Fined $50,000 for Letting Kyrie Irving Into Their Locker Room

The downturn in positive tests nationwide and the lifting of other mandates had raised optimism within the Nets organization that Irving’s return as a full-time player was imminent. While Irving’s limitations under the mandate have received outsize attention because of his celebrity, the rule applies to New York City employees at more than 180,000 businesses, as well as other local sports teams like the Knicks.

Adam Silver, the N.B.A. commissioner, told ESPN last month that he felt the rule disallowing Irving from playing in home games “doesn’t quite make sense” because opposing players who are unvaccinated are allowed to play at New York City venues. Later that day, Adams agreed with Silver, saying that the rule was “unfair,” but also that lifting the mandate would “send mixed messages.”

The N.B.A. pushed for its own vaccine mandate for players before the season, but the players’ union said no.

Irving’s attendance at Sunday’s nationally televised game against the Knicks created a spectacle. Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, the N.B.A.’s biggest star, weighed in on Twitter during the game, writing that the law “literally makes ABSOLUTELY ZERO SENSE!!!”

He added: “They say if common sense was common then we’d all have it. Ain’t that the truth. #FreeKyrie.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/14/sports/basketball/nba-nets-covid-fine-kyrie-irving.html