Smith added that Kyrie would not have gotten away with this if it was the 80s or 90s.
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NBA analyst and outspoken TV personality, Stephen A. Smith called out Kevin Durant for not being too critical of Kyrie Irving and his refusal to get vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine.
Irving has dug his heels in and said numerous times that he will not receive the shot. That has drawn polarizing views because the vaccination rules in the city of New York are inconsistent and hardly make any sense as Kevin Durant alluded to earlier. The one time NBA champion has defied the city’s mandate and that means that he will only be available for the away games.
Stephen A. Smith while speaking on Stephen A’s world expressed his frustration at Kevin Durant for not knocking some sense into Kyrie. He said, “The Nets will only have Kyrie Irving at their disposal in three of their final ten regular-season games with the playoff berth on the line. But they might not have him at their disposal for half of the playoff games. KD hasn’t uttered a syllable of frustration about any of that, but Kyrie Irving could change it all. Kyrie can end the restriction all by his damn self. It’s long time past for KD to talk about that, at least mention it. And how about achieving a miracle how about talking some sense into Kyrie Irving, it’s the chip bro that’s what’s on the line.”
He added that Kyrie would not have gotten away with this if it was the 80s or the 90s. “I am old school from this perspective. Do you think for one second that Kyrie would’ve been able to get away with this if he was playing in this 80s or the 90s with some of those cats? It would have been a problem. Why because they would have been like, ‘Yo, we had to take if we want to play, the hell you mean you won’t be ready.’”
Smith has long been a vocal critic of Kyrie Irving and his anti-vax stance and has gone so far as to even call Kyrie selfish.
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According to news reports, James Harden’s reason for leaving the Brooklyn Nets was partly down to Irving’s part-time status. The ‘Beard’ is yet to win a championship and was not willing to risk wasting his prime considering that he is 32 years old and age was soon going to catch up. Thus, he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers on the trade deadline.
