Adam Silver: NYC should review vaccination-mandate ordinance / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports Credit Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he hopes officials in New York City will revisit the regulation that requires Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving to sit out home games because he isn't vaccinated against COVID-19.

Speaking Wednesday on ESPN's "Get Up," Silver said the ordinance "doesn't quite make sense to me" because it applies only to players on New York teams. An unvaccinated player from a visiting city is allowed to play.

"This law in New York, the oddity of it to me is that it only applies to home players," Silver said. "I think if ultimately that rule is about protecting people who are in the arena, it just doesn't quite make sense to me that an away player who is unvaccinated can play in Barclays but the home player can't. To me, that's a reason they should take a look at that ordinance."

Since he's based in New York, Silver said he sees how the COVID-19 situation is improving in the city.

"So while, again, my personal view is people should get vaccinated and boosted, I can imagine a scenario where Brooklyn, as part of New York City, with a new mayor now who wasn't in place, Eric Adams, when that original ordinance was put into place, I could see him deciding to change along the way and say it's no longer necessary to have a mandatory vaccination requirement, as I said, particularly one that only affects home players," Silver said.

Irving sat out the first 38 games of the season before the Nets agreed to allow him to play on a part-time, away-only basis. He is appeared in 14 games, averaging 24.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game.

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