“They were hitting Kyrie's pockets, and what did Kyrie do? ‘I don’t care, this is what I believe’” - Draymond Green says Kyrie Irving has his respect for standing his ground
Draymond Green praised Kyrie Irving's resolve to stay firm in his anti-vaccination choice on Wednesday. During the “The Draymond Green Show,” Green said it was admirable that Irving stayed true to himself.
Kyrie Irving respected for standing his ground
Draymond Green said:
“I want to say, kudos, shoutout, and much respect to Kyrie Irving for standing his ground for what he believes in. Most people are victim to not standing your ground for what you believe in because somebody wanna hit your pockets.
"So, they were hitting Kyrie’s pockets and what did Kyrie do? ‘I don't care. This is what I believe. And I'm not doing this, and that's just that.’”
Because of COVID-19 and the resulting vaccination mandates, unvaccinated players were unable to play in some cities.
New York City's mandate banned unvaccinated workers from their place of employment. Thus, Irving could not play in Brooklyn or the New York Knicks' Madison Square Garden.
Canadian law requited all visitors to the country to be vaccinated. In San Francisco, the mandate required anyone over 12 to show proof of full vaccination before entering large-scale events. That law did not apply to members of visiting teams.
Brooklyn decided in the preseason to keep Irving off the team. But team owner Joe Tsai said Irving would be paid his full salary of $34.9 million (despite what Green said Wednesday). The franchise said they were concerned about the disruption of Irving only being able to play in fewer than half their games. But the franchise reversed that decision in December, and Irving began playing in January.
Last week, NYC amended its laws, and Irving can now play home games. His first was on Sunday in a 119-110 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
As a result of his decision, Irving has faced much criticism. The narrative has predominantly been that he chose to leave his team hanging for his own personal reasons. Some have regarded it as selfish. But his teammate and friend, Kevin Durant, said he has remained alongside Irving in his decision and holds no judgment against him for it.
KD is averaging 29.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game.
The Nets (40-36) are eighth in the Eastern Conference. But they remain heavy playoff contenders because of the duo of Durant and Irving.
For a player with a high basketball IQ like Green to defend Irving is substantial. He did not blame Irving for his personal decision during a confusing time.