Kyrie Irving won't play with Brooklyn Nets with COVID-19 vaccine

LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 03: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets follows the action from the bench during a preseason game against the Los Angeles …

LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 03: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets follows the action from the bench during a preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on October 3, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

by: Talia Naquin

Posted: Oct 12, 2021 / 12:22 PM EDT

Updated: Oct 12, 2021 / 12:59 PM EDT

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

NEW YORK CITY (WJW) – Former Cleveland Cavalier and Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving won’t play or practice with the team until he is vaccinated for COVID-19.

CNN reported the news based on a statement from Brooklyn Nets General Manager Sean Marks.

New York City’s vaccine mandate requires any person attending games at the Barclays Center to be vaccinated.

That includes Irving.

“Kyrie has made a personal choice, and we respect his individual right to choose,” Marks said in a statement to CNN.

Head coach Steven Nash had previously said the team would be with Irving for home games, but Marks said the Nets won’t allow a member of the team to be part-time.

“Currently, the choice restricts his ability to be a full-time member of the team, and we will not permit any member of our team to participate with part-time availability. It is imperative that we continue to build chemistry as a team and remain true to our long-established values of togetherness and sacrifice.”

There has been no comment so far from Kyrie.

Irving was with the Cavaliers from 2011 to 2017, helping the team win a championship in 2016.