NEW YORK — Surprised by a vaccine mandate that left him unable to play for much of last season, Kyrie Irving described himself as a “martyr” for refusing the COVID-19 shot while facing heavy scrutiny.
“I was not expecting a mandate to be brought down in a way where it wasn’t going to let me play at all,” Irving told the Boardroom’s “The ETCs” podcast in an episode published Wednesday. “I had the opportunity to play away games still but there was no plan in place, there was no vision of how it was going to work for our team. And I think that not only impacted not just me, but a lot of people. Just had to sit in that hot seat for a little bit and deal with it. The life of a martyr, bro.”
Irving’s anti-vaccination stance initially prompted the Nets to remove the point guard from all games and practices, claiming it unfeasible to have a part-time player for only away contests. General manager Sean Marks quickly backtracked and Irving debuted on Jan. 5 in Indiana.
