Getty Nets stars Kyrie Irving (left) and Kevin Durant.
Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant was the talk of the NBA world on March 13. Not only did he go off for 53 points against the New York Knicks, but he also destroyed New York City Mayor Eric Adams in a blazing rant.
For the first time all season, Nets point guard Kyrie Irving was at the Barclays Center versus the Knicks. However, since he’s still unvaccinated against COVID-19, Uncle Drew couldn’t play and Durant thinks the rule is “ridiculous.”
“It’s ridiculous,” Durant said, via Nick Friedell of ESPN. “I don’t understand it at all. There’s a few people in our arena that’s unvaxxed, right? They lifted all of that in our arena, right? So I don’t get it … I don’t get it. It just feels like at this point now, somebody’s trying to make a statement or a point to flex their authority. But everybody out here is looking for attention and that’s what I feel like the mayor wants right now, is some attention. But he’ll figure it out soon. He better.
“But it just didn’t make any sense. There’s unvaxxed people in this building already. We got a guy who can come in the building, I guess, are they fearing our safety? I don’t get it. We’re all confused. Pretty much everybody in the world is confused at this point. Early on in the season people didn’t understand what was going on, but now it just looks stupid. So hopefully, Eric, you got to figure this out.”
Irving isn’t allowed to play in New York or Toronto until he gets the COVID-19 vaccine. The Nets remain hopeful Adams will pull back the city’s mandate so that Irving can play full time again, but Durant didn’t hold back his true thoughts on the Mayor.
Durant: ‘Eric, You Got to Figure Something out, Man’
Durant put a lot of pressure on Adams during his media session with reporters after the Knicks game. The two-time Finals MVP called the Mayor by his first name multiple times.
“I was at the free-throw line, I think, when he walked in, and me and Drum [Andre Drummond] looked at each other and was like, ‘Yo, this is unreal.'” Durant said, via Friedell. “I’ve never seen nothing like this before. We just smiled. We could say that about a lot of situations over these last two or three years when things just didn’t make any sense, especially with COVID being involved. So hopefully it gets figured out. Eric, you got to figure something out, man, because it’s looking crazy. Especially on national TV, and he can come to the game, but not play — come on, man. Hey, yo, Eric.”
A few weeks ago on CNBC, Adams said he wants to see Irving play for the Nets at home. However, he admitted it “would send the wrong message” to the rest of the city if he were to make an exception for Irving to play in New York without being vaccinated.
Adams: ‘There’s so Much at Stake Here’
Adams is a basketball fan. He enjoys watching Irving play. However, he doesn’t think it would be smart to let the one-time champion play in NYC while being unvaccinated.
“Listen, I want Kyrie on the court,” Adams said during an interview with CNBC. “I would do anything to get that ring. So badly, I want it. But there’s so much at stake here. And I spoke with the owner of the team. We want to find a way to get Kyrie on the court, but this is a bigger issue. I can’t have my city closed down again. It would send the wrong message just to have an exception for one player when we’re telling countless number of New York City employees, ‘If you don’t follow the rules, you won’t be able to be employed.’”
Irving is averaging 25.9 points in the 18 games he’s played this season. The Nets are legitimate title contenders when Durant and Irving are on the court together. However, it’s unknown if the latter will play in home games once the 2022 playoffs start.