Kyrie Irving, star of the Brooklyn Nets, has been the subject of concern regarding his vaccination status for the ongoing global pandemic since the season began. Due to NBA protocols that have to be followed by every player on each team this season, Kyrie initially declined to get the COVID-19 vaccination. This caused him to miss the play at the Barclays Center, especially since vaccination is mandatory in New York City.

Recently, Shaquille O’Neal shared a meme about Kyrie’s vaccine situation with a picture of Michael Jordan with the caption: “Kyrie after finding a way to play for the nets without having to get the vaccine”.

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Shaquille O’Neal’s remarks against Kyrie returning to play 

Shaq has addressed Kyrie’s vaccination situation on multiple occasions. In fact, Shaq has never backed down from voicing his opinions on the matter and has been critical of Irving’s stance on the matter for a while now. He stated that Kyrie had missed the season due to not getting vaccinated.

“If you’re on my team and you can’t play home games, I don’t want you around. Like, we have a chance to win and if you ain’t on the program, go somewhere else, period. Hey, whatever your reasons are, cool, I’m with that, but we ain’t gonna be going back and forth for 41 games whether you gonna play or not. Get your a** up outta here.”

The report from ESPN stated that Kyrie has met all the guidelines of the NBA safety guidelines per the program since he informed the Nets of his comeback.

“I really empathized and I understood their choice to say if you are not going to be fully vaccinated, then you can’t be a full [participant].” [h/t thehill.com]

Shaq’s reaction to Kyrie’s situation is not incorrect either, as Kyrie just got the $200 million deal from the Nets. The Nets in the 2022 championship run are short of players, especially due to injuries and NBA protocols. As a result, Kyrie’s behavior won’t suit the team in their championship effort. As far as the Nets are concerned, Kyrie is one of their best players.

Do you agree or disagree with Kyrie’s point of view regarding the vaccine situation and his missing games?

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