Supporters of Nets star Kyrie Irving descended upon Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, to protest vaccine mandates, Sunday. Irving has vocally opposed mandatory vaccinations and is currently not allowed to play with Nets while he remains unvaccinated for COVID-19.
Protesters carried signs which read "No mandates," and "My Body, My Choice." They chanted phrases such as "Stand with Kyrie" and "Let Kyrie play."
Local restrictions in Brooklyn, as well as other cities, would prevent Irving from participating in most of the team's games this season. With that being the case, the Nets decided that he won't play or practice with the team altogether until he gets vaccinated.
Irving discussed the dilemma in an Instagram live stream, earlier this month.
Pay attention to what's going on out in the real world. People are losing their jobs to these mandates. People are having to make choices with their own lives which I respect and I don't wanna sit here and play on people's emotions, either. Just use logic. What would you do? If you felt uncomfortable going into the season when you were promised that you would have exemptions or that you wouldn't have to be forced to get the vaccine. This wasn't an issue before the season started.
Check out footage from the protest below.
[Via]