Kyrie Irving will reportedly return to the Brooklyn Nets as a part-time player this season.
According to ESPN, due to “unfolding circumstances” of the team’s season, “including injuries, COVID losses and an inordinate minutes load on their superstar players,” the Nets are adding Irving back to their playing roster for away games.
Irving has to test negative on five consecutive days before he can rejoin the squad. After that, he will have to take a COVID-19 test every day. The Nets’ next road game will be in Portland on Dec. 23, followed by a Christmas Day game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
As REVOLT readers may recall, Irving was banned from playing and practicing with the team after he refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine, which was required by the state of New York. “Given the evolving nature of the situation and after thorough deliberation, we have decided Kyrie Irving will not play or practice with the team until he is eligible to be a full participant,” the team’s General Manager Sean Marks said in a statement at the time. “Kyrie has made a personal choice and we respect his individual right to choose.”
Marks previously said that he would not allow Irving to be a part-time player so the team could “build chemistry” and “remain true to our long-established values of togetherness and sacrifice.”
Following the ban, the point guard took to Instagram Live to publicly speak about his decision to remain unvaccinated and clear up rumors about him retiring.
“I’m staying grounded in what I believe in,” Irving said during the 20-minute video. “It’s not about being anti-vaxx or about being on one side or the other. It’s about being true to what feels good for me. I’m still uncertain about a lot of things and that’s ok. If I’m going to be demonized about having more questions and taking my time to make a decision with my life, then that’s just what it is.”