NBA Commissioner Adam Silver Says New York City’s Vaccine Mandate ‘Doesn’t Quite Make Sense’

New York City’s vaccine mandate is preventing Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving from playing in home games and NBA commissioner Adam Silver doesn’t seem to agree with the local restriction.

Joining ESPN’s Get Up on Tuesday, Silver expressed doubt over New York City’s vaccine mandate, despite being a strong proponent of the jab. The NBA currently boasts a near 98 percent vaccination rate for its players, with many of them also having the booster.

“This law in New York, the oddity of it to me is that it only applies to home players,” Silver said. “I think if ultimately that rule is about protecting people who are in the arena, it just doesn’t quite make sense to me that an away player who is unvaccinated can play in Barclays but the home player can’t. To me, that’s a reason they should take a look at that ordinance.”

Irving, who has refused to get vaccinated against Covid-19, is barred from entering the Nets’ arena for home games because of New York City protocols, but unvaccinated players from other cities have been welcomed into New York’s Barclays Center and Madison Square Garden. And each game, thousands of fans with vaccines that may have worn off months ago are able to enter the buildings without a mask or Covid test, while Irving sits at home.

“So while, again, my personal view is people should get vaccinated and boosted,” Silver added. “I can imagine a scenario where Brooklyn, as part of New York City, with a new mayor now who wasn’t in place, Eric Adams, when that original ordinance was put in place, I could see him deciding to change along the way and say it’s no longer necessary to have a mandatory vaccination requirement, as I said, particularly one that only affects home players.”

Irving has played in just 14 games this season, all on the road, and is currently eligible to play in just eight of the Nets 25 remaining contests on their schedule. The Nets and Irving are hopeful the vaccine mandate can be lifted before the playoffs, but their All-Star point guard remains unapologetic about hurting his team.

Watch above via ESPN