The 2021-22 NBA season kicked off earlier tonight, as the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks squared off in a contest of Eastern Conference contenders.
Unfortunately, for the Nets, All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving was not on the floor for the game. Irving remains unavailable for the Nets due to his vaccination status.
The Nets recently announced that Irving will not be allowed participate in team activities as a result. On Tuesday night, NBA on TNT analyst Charles Barkley had a message for Irving, telling the star point guard why he should get vaccinated.
“You don’t get vaccinated just for yourself. You get vaccinated for your family first, you get vaccinated for your teammates second,” Barkley said. “That’s what bothered me about this whole thing. I think everybody should get vaccinated.”
Charles Barkley on Kyrie “You don’t get vaccinated just for yourself, you get vaccinated for your family first, you get vaccinated for your teammates second” pic.twitter.com/QAMtvpETBn
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) October 20, 2021
“I really am proud of the Nets for putting their foot down and for saying, ‘no, we’re not going to do this half on and half off.’ Barkley continued. “The only thing that bothers me is he’s still going to make $17 million sitting at home.”
Barkley is clearly frustrated by Kyrie’s decision, which put the Nets in an awkward position. Irving has every right not to receive the vaccine, but his team and his teammates will be the ones put at a disadvantage without him on the court.
Brooklyn can still compete for a title without him, but with him, they would be title favorites.
The post Charles Barkley Has Message For Kyrie Irving appeared first on The Spun.
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