Nets’ Kyrie Irving says he gave up ‘four years, $100-something mil’ by going unvaccinated

Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving’s decision not to get vaccinated likely cost him $100 million, he told reporters on Monday’s media day.

The veteran point guard was rumored to be headed for free agency in June after struggling to complete a lengthy overtime in Brooklyn following the Nets’ first-round loss to the Boston playoffs. Celtics. But rather than forgo last year’s $36 million contract, Irving picked up his player option after discovering the market for his services had deteriorated.

“I gave up four years, about $100 million, when I decided not to get vaccinated,” he told reporters. ‘That was the decision. It was a contract [and] get vaccinated or don’t get vaccinated and there is a certain amount of uncertainty about your future.’

Irving, 30, went on to say he believed the team was setting an “ultimatum” by refusing to agree to a long-term extension unless he got the COVID-19 vaccine.

General manager Sean Marks pushed back that suggestion Monday.

“There’s no ultimatum here,” Marks said. “Again, it goes back to you want people who are trustworthy, people who are here, and responsible. All of us: staff, players, coaches, you name it. It’s not giving someone an ultimatum to get a vaccine. That is a completely personal choice. I’m behind Kyrie. I think if he wants to, he made that choice. That is entirely his prerogative.’

The unvaccinated Irving was sidelined for much of last season’s last season due to the city’s mandate for public arenas and private workplaces, as well as the Nets’ decision to bench him for away games, citing their preference for full-time players. Team officials finally relented in January, allowing him to play road games, and the city followed suit in February by lifting the indoor mandate, allowing him to play at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.

But Irving feels his decision to be a “voice for the voiceless” cost him in the eyes of NBA teams, who questioned his desire to play basketball.

“There were options, but not many because of the stigma of whether or not I wanted to play or whether or not I was committed to the team, which I thought was really unfair at times,” Irving said.

Even Brooklyn withdrew from lengthy extension talks with Irving amid the controversy, he said Monday.

“We should have figured all that out before training camp last year,” Irving said. “It just didn’t happen because of my status of being unvaccinated. It was a tough pill to swallow.

“I’ve had to deal with the real circumstance that I lost my job because of this.”

The NBA doesn’t have a vaccine mandate, nor did it last season, but the league does adhere to local health guidelines, which is why Irving was sidelined for so much of the 2021-22 campaign.

Irving was not hostile to the media on Monday, but did share his grievances over coverage of the episode.

“I didn’t realize that my unvaccinated mine became a stigma in my career that I don’t want to play, or that I’m willing to give up everything to be a voice for the voiceless,” Irving told reporters.

Irving also addressed the off-season trade request from teammate Kevin Durant, whom he called his “best friend.”

Irving called the situation “awkward” and emphasized that he supported Durant’s request, but is pleased that the All-Star has withdrawn the request and is determined to play with Irving in Brooklyn, at least next season.

“It was on Kev from the start and I complied with his request and I understood,” Irving said, without explaining why Durant was angry with the team. “There was a certain amount of uncertainty in this building, and not just for last year, but for years to come. And that responsibility he asked for must be available and accessible at all times. And we should have such an environment. I echoed the same feelings and I felt the same way.’

The trade request, which came after Durant signed a four-year $194 million extension in August 2021, naturally created a media frenzy as talking heads began to speculate where the former MVP might go.

“It’s just one of those shocking things you have as a best friend and you see your best friend going through the other side of the media storm that comes with this trade request,” Irving said. ‘When you’re in the middle of it, it’s kind of a clusterf***.

“All this, all the stories we’ve come up with, all the stories around this team, it’s hard to answer every question you have about us and what our intention is. I’ll do my best to say I respected what Kev had done, and I wished him the best, but this was the best chance for him, and it’s the best chance for me, and we feel good. And it’s not just about us, it’s about how great we are as teammates and our team. Just a great team man, that’s all I keep saying.’

Irving said he’s comfortable with Marks and owner Joe Tsai, though he didn’t mention head coach Steve Nash by name.

Durant told reporters Monday that he was not disappointed that his trade request went unfulfilled.

He was also asked about the reasoning behind his request, but did not go into details.

“There was a lot of uncertainty around our team last year,” Durant told reporters. “We came to a mutual agreement that we should continue.”

Durant explained that he would not have withdrawn the request if Nash and Marks had refused to agree to his concerns.

“I spoke them to Joe,” Durant said. ‘I’m getting older. I want to be in a stable place and try to build a championship culture. We came to a mutual agreement that we should continue.’

When asked if he was surprised that the Nets were struggling to find a trading partner, Durant admitted he wasn’t, because of Brooklyn’s asking price.

“I know I’m so good you won’t just give me away,” Durant said. “I know who I am.”

Irving believes the discussion between the Nets buyers, himself and Durant helped the team move forward after a devastating 4-0 series loss to the Celtics in April.

“I think it took honest talks and that’s what we’ve done this summer and we’ve had that,” said Irving, who later admitted he was “embarrassed” but was eliminated in the first round. the playoffs came.

Marks also spoke about the off-season meetings and said he believes Durant is determined to win in Brooklyn.

Furthermore, Marks said, “if he wanted out, and still wanted to, he wouldn’t be here.”