Brooklyn Nets player Kyrie Irving caused quite a commotion when he attended his team’s basketball game against the New York Knicks on Sunday (March 13) at Barclays Center in New York City. The star guard, who remains unable to play home games due to his unvaccinated status and the city’s private sector vaccine mandate, sat maskless courtside with his fiancé Marlene “Golden” Wilkerson. The pair were able to show up for the game as spectators because of the city’s new policies — but as a private employee of the arena, Kyrie is still barred from playing there.
Kyrie’s decision to cheer on his teammates, which came a day after he attended a Duke and Virginia Tech game at the Barclays Center, had sports commentators, fellow athletes and fans questioning the reasoning behind the pandemic-driven rules. Some asked why he is allowed to move freely in the venue without a mask, yet he still can’t don a jersey and play on the court.
“Is there a reasonable/sane/choose your adjective explanation to account for the Nets’ Kyrie Irving being allowed to attend games Saturday and Sunday at Barclays Center as an unmasked courtside spectator but not be allowed to play at Barclays Center?” tweeted NBA correspondent Marc Stein, as sports journalist Clay Travis posted, “He also went to Duke-Virginia Tech last night and sat courtside. This is beyond absurd.”
Is there a reasonable/sane/choose your adjective explanation to account for the Nets' Kyrie Irving being allowed to attend games Saturday and Sunday at Barclays Center as an unmasked courtside spectator but not be allowed to play at Barclays Center? https://t.co/eE9pniK87p
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) March 13, 2022
He also went to Duke-Virginia Tech last night and sat courtside. This is beyond absurd. https://t.co/ec6fdYWoDJ
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) March 13, 2022
Others called out Kyrie for continuing to refuse the COVID jab. “I don’t care how dumb any given Covid rule is, the only person preventing Kyrie Irving from playing basketball is Kyrie Irving. Get vaccinated. It’s a f**king pandemic,” shared one outraged fan.
I don’t care how dumb any given Covid rule is, the only person preventing Kyrie Irving from playing basketball is Kyrie Irving. Get vaccinated. It’s a fucking pandemic. https://t.co/U5uEKvM75y
— Sam (@YAnunoby) March 13, 2022
Kyrie’s former teammate, LeBron James, chimed in after a follower called out the apparent hypocrisy of the mandate on Twitter, saying the situation is “absolutely ridiculous on all levels of common sense.” The NBA icon responded, “FACTS FACTS FACTS!! It literally makes ABSOLUTELY ZERO SENSE!!! They say if common sense was common then we’d all have it. Ain’t that the truth.”
FACTS FACTS FACTS!! It literally makes ABSOLUTELY ZERO SENSE!!! They say if common sense was common then we’d all have it. Ain’t that the truth. 🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️ #FreeKyrie https://t.co/EhAcjuMrsL
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 13, 2022
Keep reading to see more reactions to Kyrie’s appearance at his own game, below.
You can be pro vaccine and also think this logic right here makes no sense. https://t.co/s323qMbcYU
— Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) March 13, 2022
We have reached the point this mandate really doesn't make any sense. He can be around freely and maskless but can't play. Pretty dumb at this point. https://t.co/lr1f5Dtwww
— Mo Dakhil (@MoDakhil_NBA) March 13, 2022
It’s so wild how Kyrie went from the face of illogical refusal to vaccinate to the face of illogical rules and regulations about masks and vaccines https://t.co/H2VRFmcY5u
— David Dennis Jr. (@DavidDTSS) March 13, 2022
We will look back at this in 5-10 years and wonder wtf were we doing? #PoliticalTheater https://t.co/7g2mhcDEmc
— Chase (@Chase_a_saurus) March 13, 2022
The biggest detail of the Kyrie sitting courtside loophole is that it weakens the legal standing of the private employer vaccine mandate.
It exposes the flaw in the mandate. By not exempting Kyrie, it threatens the entire mandate. https://t.co/Mg7ORyY4Wu
— The Glue Guys (@BKGlueGuys) March 13, 2022
I feel like everybody has the wrong takeaway here. It’s not stupid that he can’t play. It’s stupid that he can be there. https://t.co/c6WzMyxuek
— Two-piece Advocate (@frazierapproves) March 13, 2022