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Kyrie Irving (archive image)
Photo: JOHN ANGELILLO / imago images / UPI Photo
The new NBA season is imminent.
But before the game can fully start, numerous questions about the health protocol have to be clarified.
The focus is on the corona vaccinations.
There are still around 40 professionals who, according to US media, do not want to be vaccinated.
One of: Kyrie Irving.
The Guard had to stay away from his Brooklyn Nets training session on Tuesday.
The strict corona protocols of the city of New York prohibit the vaccine opponent from participating in training and games.
If Irving continues to refuse a vaccination, he threatens to miss all of his team's NBA home games.
In the regular season that would be 41 games, plus possible games in the playoffs.
The Nets are considered one of the contenders for the championship.
“There's no more news,” said Nets trainer Steve Nash: “We support him.
We are there for him.
Things change.
If there is a solution, we'll be there for him. ”Irving, a seven-time all star, has to prove that he has received at least one dose of vaccine to be able to train and play with the team again in the arena.
Most recently, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio asked the player to be vaccinated against the corona virus.
“I'm a fan of Kyrie.
I just want to appeal to him - get vaccinated, ”said de Blasio on CNN.
The fans would want to see Irving.
"We all want you back, your teammates want you back," added de Blasio.
New York's mayor had ordered in August that unvaccinated professional athletes are not allowed to train or play in New York interiors.
There is no compulsory vaccination for players
Irving is known for his, cautiously, unconventional thinking. Years ago he claimed that the earth was "flat". He later apologized for it. Rolling Stone also reports that the point guard recently started following and liking Instagram posts by a conspiracy theorist who claims that "secret societies" are implanting vaccines to target black people for a "plan of Satan." Main computer to connect.
According to a report in the New York Times, more than 90 percent of all players in the NBA are vaccinated at least once (in the WNBA, the women's basketball league, it is as much as 99 percent).
However, there is no compulsory vaccination for professionals, as the league had planned.
It also failed because of resistance from the players' union.
Referees, coaches and team members, on the other hand, must be vaccinated.
jok / sid