By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Kyrie Irving is holding firm on his decision of not getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
The superstar guard finally broke his silence when he went live on his Instagram account and is still firm about not getting vaccinated despite numerous violations he will face from the NBA.
After commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA committee announced that players who refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccine will be facing penalties including financial cuts, Irving still isn’t willing to follow protocols and might also not play a single home game with his team.
A New York mandate made the situation worse for Irving as they are already requiring proof of at least one shot of vaccination to enter large indoor facilities such as NBA arenas.
“It is not about being anti-vax or about being on one side or the other. It is just really about being true to what feels good for me,” Irving said during his IG live.
Before Irving, Andrew Wiggins of the Golden State Warriors also disclosed his decision of not getting the vaccine but after the NBA released its list of protocols and the penalties unvaccinated players might face, the swingman immediately had a change of heart and already received his shot.
Nets general manager Sean Marks already announced that they are prohibiting Irving from participating in games and team practices until he gets vaccinated.
“The financial consequences, I know I do not want to even do that. But it is the reality that in order to be in New York City, in order to be on a team, I have to be vaccinated. I chose to be unvaccinated and that was my choice and I would ask you all to just respect that choice,” added Irving.
