Nets point guard has only been available for away matches; Irving is averaging 24.1 points and 5.4 assists per game; 29-year-old will miss 15 of Nets' final 23 regular-season clashes if vaccination mandate stays in place
Wednesday 23 February 2022 20:02, UK
Kyrie Irving could soon be available for Brooklyn Nets' home games with New York City mayor Eric Adams keen to end the Covid-19 vaccine mandate.
Point guard Irving has refused the jab required for home players to compete in New York and has been limited to appearing for his side in away matches.
Irving was approved to return and play in road games by the Nets in December and in 14 outings this season is averaging 24.1 points and 5.4 assists per game.
"I take my hat off to New Yorkers through masks, vaccines, through social distancing. We were hit with the uncertainty, the fear of Covid. I'm very proud of how we responded," Adams said Wednesday without providing a timeline or estimate of when the rules could change in New York.
"Every morning I meet with my health professionals because I always say I'm going to follow the science. I'm not going to get ahead of the science because I'm ready to get ahead of all of this and get back to a level of normalcy.
"But they're giving us clear instructions. They gave us benchmarks, we're going to follow those benchmarks. I look forward to the next weeks going through a real transformation We're moving in the right direction. We're going to do it in a safe way."
The Nets have 23 games remaining on their regular-season schedule, but 15 of them would be played without Irving if the vaccine mandate remained in place.
Irving has recently curried support from NBA commissioner Adam Silver and some league owners who criticised the mandate applying to players from the New York market but not to players visiting New York from other cities.
