The future of Kyrie Irving's career is unclear as the vaccination mandates continue to loom. The Brooklyn Nets star has been the focal point of political and sports conversations as his decision to remain unvaccinated is debated from coast to coast. It has been shared that Irving will sit out of home games due to protocols, and while people have agreed that he has the right to do with his body what he pleases, that has not stopped Irving from receiving criticism.
A name that continues to surface during these discussions is NBA icon Magic Johnson who, back in 1991, revealed to the world that he had been diagnosed with HIV. He immediately retired but would later return before bowing out of the league for a final time in 1996.
Johnson recently sat down with CBS News and addressed the ongoing vaccination controversy plaguing the NBA and stated that players who refuse to receive the vaccine are "letting down" their teammates.
“You have said to your teammates, ‘I’m gonna be there for you,’” Johnson said. “Well, you can’t be there if you don’t get vaccinated. You letting them down. And then that hurts our chances of winning a championship. I would never do that to my teammates. Never.” The sports legend was vaccinated earlier this year and has made his vaccination status public.
“I got my two shots and made sure I put it out on social media,” he added. “I wanted, especially my community to know, first of all, it’s safe. And the players, again, people listen to them, they follow them. That’s very important.” Watch Magic Johnson on CBS News below.