The Kyrie Irving storm is back in a big way: "I was wrong"
Two years after attacking him for his refusal to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, commentator Stephen A. Smith apologized to the guard: "It didn't make him stubborn or selfish, but courageous." The commentator, who criticized the guard for missing games for the Brooklyn Nets due to his decision, admitted: "I did him an injustice."
Kyrie Irving has sparked many storms throughout his career. One of the most prominent was during the 2020/21 season, when he refused to get vaccinated against the coronavirus and missed the home games of his team, the Brooklyn Nets, due to the ban imposed in New York on unvaccinated individuals. One of his biggest critics at the time was senior NBA commentator Stephen A. Smith, who, after years, decided to apologize.
Smith apologized to Kyrie for calling him "selfish" in the past following his decision not to get vaccinated. Smith said that after watching the testimony of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former chief medical advisor to the presidents of the United States and one of the figures most identified with managing the coronavirus crisis, before the Senate committee on Capitol Hill, Irving was the first person who came to his mind.
Smith's full statement:
"Kyrie Irving stood out in my thoughts because of the fire he took. He refused the vaccine. New York City policy prevented him from playing in home games, and he tied his position also to people who lost their jobs because of vaccine mandates."
Smith revisited the criticism directed at Irving during the pandemic and said that in hindsight, he believes the star did not act out of stubbornness or selfishness.
"In my opinion, especially in hindsight, it didn't make him stubborn or selfish. It made him courageous. He had a willingness to stand up and say: 'No, I'm not doing that.' It's just a time for soul-searching — to look at things differently. Kyrie Irving didn't do anything wrong to anyone. We did him an injustice. I did him an injustice. I called him selfish. I was wrong. In hindsight, what Kyrie Irving did was courageous."
Irving's position also had significant economic consequences. The absences from home games led to a loss of income from his contract, so he gave up 11.4 million dollars of his seasonal salary that year. During the 2022/23 season, he was traded from Brooklyn to the Dallas Mavericks, for whom he plays to this day.
The guard, who caused quite a few storms also due to his pro-Palestinian positions, missed the entire past season due to an injury. He is expected to return to the courts at the beginning of the upcoming season after about a year and a half out.
