It’s been more than a year since Kyrie Irving’s tenure with the Nets ended, and while all sides have moved on, Irving seems to believe that an important decision-maker had something to do with things not working out.
And it’s not Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn or owner Joe Tsai.
In his first game back in Brooklyn, Irving was so impressive that one fan on the court asked why the Nets couldn’t benefit from such performances during his tenure with the team. The answer? New York City Mayor Eric Adams, according to Irving.
“Thanks to Mayor Adams for that, brother,” Irving said. saying to the fan as he prepared to throw the ball.
The response may have been ironic, but Irving seemed quite serious in his speech.
What did Mayor Adams do to Kyrie Irving?
Adams, who was elected mayor of New York City in 2021 and took office in 2022, is often associated with the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate that notably prevented Irving from participating in home games during the 2021-22 season. After being elected, Adams stood by his mandate and would not change his position for months.
Under the terms of the mandate, any city resident who was not vaccinated against COVID-19 would not be able to work within the city limits. As a result, Irving, who made the decision to remain unvaccinated, began the season ineligible to play in the Nets’ 41 home games and two road games at Madison Square Garden.
Before the season, Nets general manager Sean Marks announced that the organization would not allow Irving to participate part-time, which would keep him out of road games for which he was eligible.
The franchise would eventually change its stance and the mandate would eventually be lifted, but Irving was limited to just 29 games during the 2021-22 regular season, 22 of which were outside of New York City.
Brooklyn finished the 2021-22 season with a 44-38 record and, after a win in the Play-In tournament, was swept by the eventual Eastern Conference champion Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. That series sweep turned out to be the beginning of the end.
After requesting a trade months later, Irving was traded to the Mavericks before the 2023 trade deadline. His All-Star teammate, Kevin Durant, was traded to Phoenix shortly after.
Despite how things ended, Irving appears to be at peace with his tenure as a Net. After scoring 36 points in his return game, Irving had plenty of positive things to say in his exit interview.
“I made some amazing relationships, man; I made a lot of friends here. A lot of brothers and sisters that I will have for life. They really welcomed me home.
“I’m really a kid from New Jersey who had the opportunity to play for the New Jersey Nets, actually the Brooklyn Nets, but I got to live my dream and that’s all I can ask for.”
