It appears Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving will be able to practice with the team this season after all. New York City has declared the Nets’ practice facility a private office, which means it is not subject to the city’s COVID-19 mandates barring unvaccinated persons from large gatherings.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Nets coach Steve Nash said his first thought was that the ruling was “positive.”
“We can have him around the team for a larger period of our season and we’ll see what happens,” Nash continued. “This rule just came in. Is another one coming? Is he gonna be allowed to play at home at some point? Is he not gonna be able to practice in our facility at some point? We’re just following the latest. I don’t think that anyone has been through this before. Obviously, the pandemic has been new to everyone, and now we’re in a position where the pandemic is creating all these different, new scenarios as well. I really don’t know what to say other than that it’s positive that he can now rejoin his teammates in our practice center and train and it gives us more touch points with him. We’ll go from there.”
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Earlier this week, a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst stated that the Nets were losing hope that Irving would get the COVID-19 vaccine before the start of the season. Prior to this new ruling, that meant Irving would not be able to practice or play in home games at Barclays Center. Now, at least, Irving will be able to participate in practices and just, in general, be around the team at the facility.
As things stand, however, he will still not be able to play at home. That includes Friday night’s preseason matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks, which is set to be the first game that Irving misses due to his vaccination status. It’s not clear how the Nets will handle the situation moving forward. Based on the NBA‘s rules, Irving would be allowed to play in road games, but it goes without saying that having him as a part-time player would not be ideal.
During media day, which Irving was forced to attend remotely because of his unvaccinated status, he asked for privacy.
“I appreciate your question, bro,” Irving said. “Honestly, I like to keep that stuff private, man.” He said he would “handle it the right way with my team and go forward together with a plan. So, you know, obviously I’m not able to be present there today. But that doesn’t mean that I’m putting any limits on the future of me being able to join the team.”
The Nets are scheduled to begin the regular season on Oct. 19 against the Bucks. Because that game is in Milwaukee, Irving will be eligible to play. Beyond that, however, his status remains up in the air.
