Kyrie Irving attends Nets' outdoor practice, but long-term availability remains unclear
Nets guard Kyrie Irving (11) lowers his mask to talk to a teammate during practice at Brooklyn Bridge Park on Saturday, Oct 9, 2021. Credit: Brad Penner
For the first time since Nets training camp began, Kyrie Irving was "in the house" at a public venue in Brooklyn. Of course, that’s because the "house" had no roof at Pier 2 in Brooklyn Bridge Park, where the Nets staged their public "Practice in the Park" event Saturday afternoon.
Irving was listed as "ineligible" for Friday night’s home preseason opener at Barclays Center, and he sat out three practices last week at the team’s HSS training facility.
Irving has not spoken publicly about his vaccination status, but a New York City COVID-19 mandate forbids unvaccinated people over the age of 12 from entering an indoor public venue without proof of at least one dose of vaccine. Late Friday afternoon, city officials declared the HSS training facility a private business venue, and Nets officials confirmed that means Irving now is eligible to practice there, which he is expected to do on Sunday before traveling to Philadelphia for a preseason game he is eligible to play Monday night.
The Nets were introduced in alphabetical order to a crowd of about 4,000 fans Saturday afternoon, and the cheers for Irving equaled those of fellow superstars Kevin Durant and James Harden. Notably, Irving was the only Nets player wearing a face mask.
After hugging assistant coach Jacque Vaughn, a former point guard who has worked closely with him, Irving delivered an autographed jersey to a young fan at courtside. He later engaged in a bit of horseplay with teammates Durant and Blake Griffin, and he lost a shooting contest to newcomer Jevon Carter.
But Irving appeared to enjoy himself immensely, and he was beaming while standing in the center of the front row for the team picture. He did not speak to the media, which was granted one interview with newcomer Patty Mills.
One reporter put Mills on the spot by asking if Irving has expressed any interest in getting vaccinated. "We just rolled up here to be able to enjoy the event, so we haven’t had a chance to catch up yet," Mills said. "But I’m sure those conversations will come."
Maybe they will and maybe they won’t. Under the local vaccine mandate, Irving could miss up to 43 regular-season games in New York, including 41 home games and two visits to Madison Square Garden.
Following the Nets’ win over the Bucks, Durant and Harden were asked if they take heart from the fact Irving now at least will be able to practice with his teammates in Brooklyn. Both made it clear they would like to see more than that from him.
"At least he can practice, but we want him here for the whole thing," Durant said. "We want him here for games, home games, practices, away games, shootarounds and all the other stuff. Hopefully, we can figure this out."
Asked if he is worried about consistency if Irving is in and out of the lineup and only plays road games, Harden said the Nets’ did a good job handling all the lineup changes caused by injuries last season. But he added of Irving, "It’s just that him being here obviously makes it easier. But for the most part, we know what we’re supposed to be doing once he joins the team."
To this point, no one in the Nets’ organization has criticized Irving for the personal stance he has taken that has turned him into a part-time participant with the team. As Joe Harris said Friday night, "It’s a huge boost just to be able to have him around to practice and compete. He’s still a part of this team, a part of this family, a part of this organization, and we support him wholeheartedly. Just having him around would be great."
On Saturday in the park, as the group Chicago once sang, there were "people reaching, people touching, a real celebration." But the Nets have to wonder how long that might last if Saturday in the park turns out to be Irving’s only public appearance in Brooklyn this season.
Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.
