The Nets came out at the opening of this NBA season with a strong stance on star guard Kyrie Irving and his unwillingness to get vaccinated, leaving him ineligible to play in home games because of New York City’s mandate for indoor performers. They did not want part-time players and if Irving was not willing to take the shot and be present for his team the entire season, the Nets would just move on without him.
That changed last week, though, as the Nets announced they had altered their stance and would now allow Irving to play on the road. Not everyone was happy about the news though, especially not ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who skewered the franchise for its unwillingness to take a stand—and keep it.
“It’s a horrible move, it’s a disgraceful move. I think that Nets ownership is incredibly disappointing and I think that the league should intervene. … To watch the Brooklyn Nets reverse course and take this position, is one of the most shameful things, I think, they could have ever done,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take Tuesday morning. “And I’ll go a step further. One of the last people in the world who is worth it is Kyrie Irving.”
Smith: Kyrie Irving Always ‘Takes Off From Work’
Also on Tuesday, Smith made the announcement that he, too, has COVID-19, but even with a slight rasp in his voice, his position on Irving remained strong. He called anyone who would give Irving more than a one-year contract “the stupidest people on the planet,” a phrase that may soon apply to the Nets as Irving will be eligible for a new contract this offseason.
The problem Smith has with Irving is that Irving has repeatedly removed himself from playing, not only with the vaccine issue this season but last season as well, when he stepped away from the game for two weeks in January, largely without explanation. The break coincided with the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
Here was the crux of Smith’s anti-Irving diatribe:
It’s Kyrie that we’re talking about here. If we’re talking about Steph Curry, if we’re talking about Kevin Durant, if we’re talking about James Harden, if we’re talking about Russell Westbrook, if we’re talking about LeBron James—individuals that have shown a commitment to doing their job, we got a different discussion. Because we’re able to look at them and say, ‘They don’t really take off from work, they show up.’ That’s what matters.
This is a guy in Kyrie Irving that finds every excuse under the sun not to show up for work. Ladies and gentlemen, Kyrie Irving has been in the NBA for 10 years. He has played more than 60 games four times. Every single year, there is an excuse to take off from work. He’s got emotional issues, he’s got stuff on his mind. What the hell did the U.S. riots, and the riots at the U.S. Capitol last January 6 have to do with Kyrie Irving? How is that an excuse not to show up for work? … It’s everybody else’s fault. It’s not his.
Is Kyrie Really ‘Authentic’?
Smith also called out Irving for his self-aggrandizing approach toward other people, especially reporters. Remember, Irving began last season by skipping out on the Nets’ traditional media day and instead issuing a statement. Smith suggested there is some hypocrisy behind Irving’s repeated claims that he is seeking “authenticity” as he deals with others.
“This brother is a show-stopper, he is box-office,” Smith said. “But to want to see him play, ‘I’m more than just a basketball player. I’m more than just that.’ Then why you collecting the check? And then go sit up there and look at other people and talk about them like they’re beneath you, now that you got your money? See, when you’re a** was broke and you wanted that NBA money, you never uttered words like that. But once you got the bag, now you real, now you authentic, now you want to take stances and positions that 99% of people in the world can’t afford to take. That’s who we’re dealing with here with Kyrie Irving.”
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Prominent ESPN Analyst Rips ‘Disgraceful’ Nets Decision on Kyrie Irving