Kyrie Irving, the NBA star who does not play for not getting vaccinated
The Brooklyn Nets, one of the main contenders for the NBA title next season, cannot count on Kyrie Irving in the games played on their court. The 29-year-old base is reluctant to be vaccinated as 95 or 96% of NBA players have done, according to data provided by the union president (NBPA), Michele Roberts. The NBA does not require players to be vaccinated, but the laws of New York and San Francisco require vaccination, at least one dose, to access closed enclosures.
The Kyrie Irving situation has become a nightmare for the Nets and the League. The season begins on October 19 and the teams are already playing their first friendly preparation matches. The Nets, who lost the first in Los Angeles to the Lakers 123-97, played the second this Friday, 1:30 on Saturday in Spain, against Milwaukee Bucks, current champion and precisely the rival of the Nets in the first league game They will play on October 19, although it will be in the city of Wisconsin. Kyrie Irving was not registered for the friendly and did not participate in the training that his team has carried out in his pavilion, the Barclays Center. He had participated in the training that the Nets did last week during a concentration in San Diego.
The NBA maintains that, according to an agreement with the players' union, those who miss games for "unreasonable causes" will lose a percentage of their salary. In the case of Kyrie Irving, for each absence game he would stop receiving 380,000 dollars, about 328,000 euros. If he missed every Nets game in Brooklyn this season, plus the two scheduled against the Knicks at New York's Madison Square Garden, Irving could lose $17 million. His contract, signed in 2019, amounts to 34.9 million dollars this season, 30.1 million euros.
Roberts, the president of the players' union, disagrees with the position of the NBA in this case. “They have been reporting that we have agreed that if a player cannot play because he has not been vaccinated, a percentage of his record could be deducted. We disagre. We'll see".
How to Become an LIC Agent -https://t.co/FUTRwnajhM
— Nasıl Abi Sun Jan 26 23:58:02 +0000 2020
Irving, whose contract ends in 2023, is in a position to negotiate a four-year, $187 million contract extension. After Kevin Durant signed his contract extension through 2026 in August, Nets athletic director Sean Marks said he was optimistic about re-signing Kyrie Irving, but talks are currently frozen. Both Kevin Durant and James Harden, another Nets figure, have expressed their desire and hope that Kyrie Irving will compete with the team this season.
Wiggins finally gets vaccinated
Andrew Wiggins, forward for the Golden State Warriors, initially reluctant, opted to receive the covid vaccine. He pointed out that he felt compelled to do so. "The only options were to get vaccinated or not play in the NBA," the Canadian said. “It was a difficult decision. Hopefully it will work long term and in 10 years I will still be healthy." He also explained that he is the only member of his family who is vaccinated. "It's not something we believe in," he said. “They know he had to do it. It all came down to getting vaccinated or not playing basketball. Am 26 years old. I have two sons. I want more children. I'm trying to do something that will generate as much money as I can for my children and my future children, [create] generational wealth. So I took a chance and hopefully I'll be okay."
Unvaccinated players must follow a protocol established by the NBA, which has also informed them that those who violate the quarantine in Toronto, home of the Raptors, face a crime. Unvaccinated players can only leave the hotel for team activities. Under Canada's Quarantine Act, violations could be punishable by up to six months in prison and fines of $750,000, 648,000 euros.
You can follow EL PAÍS DEPORTES on Facebook and Twitter, or sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.
