Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving did not attend the Nets media day on Monday because of New York City’s COVID-19 protocols, and Irving would go on to decline to discuss vaccination status or how he would deal with the matter.
Irving repeatedly requested privacy when asked about the situation while speaking over Zoom, but added that he planned to release more information at a later time.
“I know that I’ll be there every day no matter what and just be present for my teammates as one of the leaders on the team and be there for my growing tribe off the court,” Irving said, according to ESPN.
“I know the focus has to be at an all-time high, no distractions. This is the last thing I wanted to create, was more distractions and more hoopla and more drama around this. I’m doing my best to maintain this with good intentions and a good heart.”
ESPN reported that Irving is expected to travel with the team to San Diego later Monday and participate in the team’s training camp this week.
“That’s on Kyrie and that’s his personal decision. What he does is not on us to speculate what may happen,” Durant said of Irving. “We trust in Kyrie, and I expect us to have our whole team at some point.”
“Obviously Ky is a huge part of what we’re trying to do,” Nets guard James Harden said.
