NBA star could be barred from home games due to vaccine refusal

NBA star Kyrie Irving could be barred from home games due to his reported refusal to receive the coronavirus vaccine.

If the NBA season began today, the Nets guard would not be allowed to enter his home court at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center due to New York’s vaccine mandate for indoor activities. 

“Regarding if they could play today, I can’t comment on who could play and so forth. There would obviously be a couple people missing from that picture,” Nets general manager Sean Marks told Fox Sports. 

With the start of the NBA season looming, Irving is among a number of players who have refused to get vaccinated.

According to a Fox Sports report, the NBA has attempted a number of strategies to encourage unvaccinated players to receive the vaccine, including providing scientific data on the vaccine’s safety and benefits, relaxed protocols for vaccinated players and even postseason incentives.

“We tried everything,” one NBA staff member said. “None of it mattered.”