On and off the court, Kyrie Irving is not the type to give up.
The star point guard of the Brooklyn Nets, who refuses to be vaccinated against the Covid-19 and camped on his positions for weeks despite the consequences on his career, will miss the resumption of the season of the NBA, the North American basketball championship , scheduled for Tuesday.
Sidelined from his team at the start of the week, when the city of New York like San Francisco forbids non-vaccinated people to access sports arenas, and therefore to train or play games there, Australian-American basketball player
finds himself in an increasingly delicate situation.
Last Thursday, during a direct on Instagram, he wanted to explain his decision: “It's not political: it's not about the NBA, any organization.
It's about my life and what I decide to do.
I chose not to be vaccinated, and I just ask you all to respect this choice ”.
He had maintained that the planet was flat
2016 NBA Champion with the Cleveland Cavaliers, alongside LeBron James in particular, Kyrie Irving, 29 years old and who has also promised to "keep in shape" and to be "ready to play", could in any case lose a lot of money. At the beginning of the month, the NBA and the players' union indeed reached an agreement which stipulates that non-vaccinated athletes will lose a little more than 1% of their salary per non-contested game ... or nearly $ 15 million ( more than 12 million euros) over the season for the player. However, he will receive his salary for matches played away from home.
In a championship with very strict health protocol, where more than 90% of NBA players had received a complete vaccination against Covid-19 in early October, including other recalcitrant like Andrew Wiggins of the Golden State Warriors, the playmaker makes therefore more and more it goes alone.
In the past, he had already been talked about for his conspiracy theories.
In 2017, the player had notably argued that the planet was flat ...
This absence of Kyrie Irving is, in any case, a blow for the Brooklyn Nets who are among the favorites for the NBA title this season and hope to quickly be able to align their star leader alongside Kevin Durant and James Harden.
The team led by Steve Nash will start the championship on Wednesday with a trip to the Milwaukee Bucks.
