REMAINING unvaccinated was a $100-million decision, according to Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving.
The seven-time All-Star said Monday that his choice to forgo COVID-19 vaccinations forced him to decline a hefty contract extension with the Nets.
“I gave up four years, 100-and-something million deciding to be unvaccinated and that was the decision,” Mr. Irving said Monday as the Nets met the media at the start of training camp. “(Get this) contract, get vaccinated or be unvaccinated and there’s a level of uncertainty of your future, whether you’re going to be in this league, whether you’re going to be on this team, so I had to deal with that real-life circumstance of losing my job for this decision.”
He will play for Brooklyn in the 2022-23 season on a $36.5-million player option before potentially becoming a free agent next summer.
Mr. Irving admitted he expected to sign a long-term contract with the Nets in the summer of 2021.
“We were supposed to have all that figured out before training camp last year,” Mr. Irving said. “And it just didn’t happen because of the status of me being vaccinated, unvaccinated. So, I understood their point and I had to live with it. It was a tough pill to swallow, honestly. — Reuters