In one of the more controversial stories in basketball this season, Melbourne native Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers has not been allowed to play home games for the Brooklyn Nets in the city of New York this season because he is unvaccinated. However, the city of New York changed their rules on Thursday for athletes and performers according to the Associated Press, which will allow Irving to be a regular member of the Nets for all of their games.
To begin the season, Irving was not on the Nets roster at all, even though he could play selected road games with Brooklyn. The Nets changed their decision and allowed Irving to play road games starting on January 5. In his season debut, Irving scored 22 points in a 129-121 Brooklyn win over the Indiana Pacers.
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In 20 road games this season, Irving has 28.5 points per game, 5.5 assists per game, and 4.6 rebounds per game. He has a field goal percentage of .494, free throw percentage of .908, and a three-point percentage of .438. The seven-time All-Star made NBA headlines on March 15, when he scored 60 points, the most points ever scored by a Nets player in a single game.
The reason why this new New York city rules are controversial is because these new rules are only in effect for athletes and performers. They are not in effect for private workers.
However even though Irving can play home games in Brooklyn, he still cannot at this time play games in Canada against the Toronto Raptors. This could be very costly for Irving and the Nets if they have to play a play-in game north of the border next month. The Raptors are seventh in the East at 41 wins and 32 losses, while the Nets are eighth in the East at 38 wins and 35 losses.
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