Kyrie Irving is blaming New York City Mayor Eric Adams for missing so many games when he played with the Brooklyn Nets.Â
While Irving was about to inbound the ball in a game against the Nets on Tuesday, a fan asked him why he didn't play as well with the Nets as he is with the Dallas Mavericks. According to the 2016 NBA champion, Mayor Adams and his strict COVID-19 restriction laws and vaccine mandates are to blame.
“Kyrie, why don't you play like this when you were on the Nets? Why Ky?,” the fan asks in the video below. “Thank Mayor [Eric] Adams for that, bro,” Kyrie responds.
Nets fan: "Kyrie why don't play like this when you were on the Nets? Why Kai?"
Irving: "Thank Mayor [Eric] Adams for that, bro."
(Via @Courtsidenets / h/t @ClutchPoints )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 7, 2024
Mayor Adams upheld a COVID-19 vaccine order for private sector employees that the last mayor, Bill de Blasio, implemented in 2021. Irving was a part of the Nets at the time, and since he wasn't vaccinated, he couldn't participate in Brooklyn's home games during the 2021-22 season.
Irving was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in February 2023, and following the move, Mayor Adams took a jab at him during an interview with Spectrum News NY1.Â
“I will find the team that beats us the most and then send him to that team because we would start beating that team,” Adams said. “No matter how much talent you have, your ability to interact with your colleagues is more important. One player can bring down the synergy of the team, so I would send him to the team that beats us the most so that we could start winning better.”
Meanwhile, Irving gave a performance that Nets fans wish they saw more of as he finished the night leading all scorers with 36 points.
This article was originally published on Complex.com.
