$190m anti-vax star Kyrie Irving’s new part-time job

There has been a shock development in Kyrie Irving’s vaccination protest with the NBA star now forced to take up a part-time gig.

Kyrie Irving is back.

Less than two months since his outspoken vaccination refusal was the trigger for a mob of protesters to storm his team’s home stadium in New York, the Brooklyn Nets have folded and are about to bring him back.

The NBA franchise made a decision in October to stand the All Star guard down from all duties and announced they would not accommodate him as a part-time player this season because of his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

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New York City vaccine mandates prohibit Irving from playing home games at Barclays Center because of his unvaccinated status and the team found his presence too disruptive to allow him to play exclusively away games.

Irving stands to lose around $21 million (AUD) this season if he does not play any home games because of the vaccine issue.

Irving is currently on a four-year contract with the Nets worth $190 million.

Senior ESPN journalist Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the Nets have now been forced to begin the process of bringing Irving back to play as a result of injuries and having players unavailable to play — but only as a part-time employee.

Brooklyn is the new doomsday team of the NBA. Gregory Shamus/Getty Images/AFP.

He posted on Twitter: “The Nets are bringing back All-Star guard Kyrie Irving as a part-time player for games outside of New York.

So far, Irving has been unwilling satisfy New York City mandates and become vaccinated to play home games, but the turbulence of the ongoing NBA season has caused the organisation to reconsider their pre-season decision to fully sideline Irving, sources said.”

The Athletic’s Shams Charania also reported Irving has begun taking the required Covid tests he is required to undergo before he is able to return to train with the team.

His eventual return to play remains unknown.

“If we get the gift of his return, we’ll be ecstatic, but we can’t count on it,” Nets coach Steve Nash said of Irving’s potential return earlier this week.

“We can’t wait for him. We have to get to work, and get better, and our group’s been awesome this year.”

As reported by The New York Post, Irving has missed all of the Nets’ games so far this year. While the team is atop the Eastern Conference with a 21-8 record in his absence, his return would greatly bolster their chances to win an NBA championship.

Originally published as $190m anti-vax star Kyrie Irving’s new part-time job