Brooklyn Nets player Kyrie Irving caused quite a commotion when he attended his team’s basketball game against the New York Knicks on Sunday (March 13) at Barclays Center in New York City.
The star guard, who remains unable to play home games due to his unvaccinated status and the city’s private sector vaccine mandate, sat maskless courtside with his fiancé Marlene “Golden” Wilkerson. The pair were able to show up for the game as spectators because of the city’s new policies — but as a private employee of the arena, Kyrie is still barred from playing there.
Kyrie’s decision to cheer on his teammates, which came a day after he attended a Duke and Virginia Tech game at the Barclays Center, had sports commentators, fellow athletes and fans questioning the reasoning behind the pandemic-driven rules.
Some asked why he is allowed to move freely in the venue without a mask, yet he still can’t don a jersey and play on the court. “Is there a reasonable/sane/choose your adjective explanation to account for the Nets’ Kyrie Irving being allowed to attend games Saturday and Sunday at Barclays Center as an unmasked courtside spectator but not be allowed to play at Barclays Center?” tweeted NBA correspondent Marc Stein, as sports journalist Clay Travis posted, “He also went to Duke-Virginia Tech last night and sat courtside.
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