Kyrie Irving 'Excited' About Possibly Playing in All Nets Games, Steve Nash Says

Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has not been allowed to play in home games this season because of New York City's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, though that could change at some point soon. 

On Wednesday, Nets head coach Steve Nash told reporters that Irving is "excited" about the possibility of being able to play games at the Barclays Center based on his behavior with the team behind the scenes: 

"Kyrie's been great on the practice floor. He's been great in film sessions. He's been creating dialogue over aspects of our play. So I sense a real focus and urgency from him. And so if that's any indication, I would say he is getting excited at the prospect of being allowed to play in all our games and hopefully in the short term."

New York City mayor Eric Adams said during a Wednesday press conference he has a plan to phase out the mandate for indoor events, possibly within "the next few weeks," but he didn't provide any specifics about the plan. 

The city's vaccine mandate prevents unvaccinated individuals aged five and older from participating in public indoor activities, including entertainment venues such as Barclays Center and Madison Square Garden. 

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recently told ESPN's Mike Greenberg on Get Up! (h/t ESPN's Andrew Lopez) that the mandate "doesn't quite make sense" because it allows unvaccinated players from outside markets to play in New York City.

"I think if ultimately that rule is about protecting people who are in the arena, it just doesn't quite make sense to me that an away player who is unvaccinated can play in Barclays but the home player can't. To me, that's a reason they should take a look at that ordinance," Silver said.

Irving has been outspoken about not getting the vaccine. The seven-time All-Star began this season banned from taking part in team activities until he was vaccinated and could play in all of the Nets' games. 

Amid a series of injuries and COVID-19-related absences to the roster, the Nets announced on Dec. 17 that Irving would be brought back to play in games outside of New York and Toronto. 

Irving has only appeared in 14 games since making his season debut on Jan. 5. The 29-year-old is averaging 24.1 points, 5.4 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game. He sat out the Nets' final three games before the All-Star break (two at home, one at Madison Square Garden). 

The Nets play four of their first five games after the All-Star break either at home or in Toronto. Irving will miss Thursday's home contest against the Boston Celtics, but he will be eligible to play on Saturday against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum.