Memphis, Tennessee. Kyrie Irving’s seasonal exile from Brooklyn is finally over.
Mayor Eric Adams is poised to announce Thursday that Irving and other unvaccinated athletes will now be allowed to play professional sports in the city under a major policy change. Politico was the first to break the news, which has since been confirmed by The Post to be the best birthday present for Irving.
And the biggest boost the Nets could hope for in their pursuit of the first-ever NBA championship, going from contender to favorite.
“I would welcome that,” Brooklyn coach Steve Nash deadpanned ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Memphis Grizzles.
Despite the delivery, Nash’s Cheshire Cat smirk told the tale of how important it would be to Brooklyn.
Irving, who turned 30 on Wednesday, played just 20 games all season and was banned from playing in New York because of his refusal to comply with the city’s COVID-19 vaccination regulations. He did not make his season debut until January 5, and the entire season was jammed because of this situation.
Kyrie Irving and Eric Adams Getty Images; Reuters
But this shift in policy will not only affect the Nets, it could also be decisive for the NBA Finals.
“Okay,” Nash said. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.
Changing the private sector vaccination mandate would allow for an exception for athletes and workplace entertainers, which would suddenly give Irving (and the unvaccinated Yankees and Metas) eligibility for home games. This could be announced Thursday at Citi Field.
But after Kevin Durant pissed off the mayor’s office by calling Adams out, Nash didn’t get involved in the attraction and lobbying for an impending baseball season to help move the needle.
“Umm, I don’t know if I should say anything about this right now,” Nash said. “Let’s just wait and see where the chips fall.”
Since taking office on New Year’s Day, Adams has gradually and systematically loosened the COVID policy introduced by his predecessor, Bill de Blasio.
Without the change, Irving would have been eligible for only two of the Nets’ remaining nine regular season games: Saturday in Miami and next weekend in Atlanta. This is about to change and it could play a role in the Eastern Conference race.
Kyrie Irving Getty Images
“I’m not in politics, man. I play basketball. I care about my kids,” center Andre Drummond said Wednesday morning of the situation with Irving. “Whatever the mayor decides, he will do.
“I hope he decides to do something to help [Irving] somehow, somehow, if he needs to check before games or whatever. But in the end, I have no control over it. I can only control what happens on the court and hopefully the best will happen.”
The best-case scenario seems to be close to being realized.
On Wednesday, Irving averaged 27.7 points and was on the verge of repeating last year’s 50/40/90 shooting gap.
Brooklyn has an attack rating of 119.3 with Irving on the court, the highest of any player who averaged at least 20 minutes and played at least 10 games. And their 126.3 with Irving and Durant on the court together is the top five in the entire league at the championship level.
“He’s a professional,” said Drummond. “He stood firm on what he believes in, but he is still a pro. When he comes back, he doesn’t miss. He does the necessary work so that he does not miss anything when he returns. We are all happy when he returns and try to contain him while he is gone.”
But now it looks like Irving won’t be leaving for every home game anymore.
“[Wednesday is his] birthday, so God knows what’s going to happen,” Drummond said. “I’m just thinking on a serious note, like I said with Kairi, he’s a real pro. When he hits the floor, he hangs up his hat and does whatever he has to do, so whether it’s a 50 or a six, he still makes an impression.”