Kyrie Irving Listed as Out/Ineligible for Nets vs. Bucks Amid NYC’s Vaccine Mandate

The Brooklyn Nets listed star guard Kyrie Irving as "out/ineligible" for Friday's preseason contest against the Milwaukee Bucks, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The news comes as Irving's status for games at Barclays Center remains in flux due to New York City's COVID-19 vaccination mandate. Members of the Nets must receive at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine or receive an exemption to suit up for home games and practice in Brooklyn.

Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer provided more context:

"One Nets official pointed out that, unlike San Francisco's fully vaccinated requirement, Irving does only need a first shot in order to rejoin his team. But at this juncture, Irving isn't just limited from eventually playing home games. He's currently barred from even setting foot inside the Nets' practice facilities, which explained his remote media day session with reporters."

The COVID-19 mandate also prohibited Irving from attending the team's media day. He answered questions on Instagram Live instead and declined to provide any specifics when asked if he planned to get the vaccine:

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst reported Tuesday that the Nets "remain unclear on [Irving's] ultimate intentions to get vaccinated and have made no decision on whether the organization will accommodate him as a part-time player this season."

The report added that team officials were initially optimistic that Irving would choose to receive the COVID-19 vaccine with the season quickly approaching. However, that belief is "waning" as Brooklyn prepares for its opener with the Bucks on Oct. 19.

That skepticism isn't shared by Kevin Durant, at least not yet.

"I'm envisioning Kyrie being a part of our team,” the 2013-14 MVP told reporters. “Maybe I'm just naive, maybe, but that's just how I feel. But everybody here has that confidence in themselves and our group that if we keep building we can do something special."

Irving's absence would have an adverse effect on the Nets as they look to win their first-ever NBA championship. The longer he's out, the more his bank account will feel it, too.

Tim Bontemps and Bobby Marks of ESPN reported the NBA and National Basketball Players Association struck an agreement to take away 1/91.6 of a player's salary for every game he misses due to local vaccine guidelines.

For Irving, that would mean losing around $380,000 for every game in which he's out of the lineup.