MIAMI — Kevin Durant understands the impetus for changing the mandate was baseball, not Kyrie Irving.
It’s a reasonable conclusion after the Nets fought for months to get Irving on the Barclays Center court, then saw the involvement of the Yankees and Mets achieve fast results just two weeks before Opening Day in the Bronx.
“I’m not naïve to the fact that the Mets and the Yankees have a lot of power in our city,” Durant said. “And I’m sure when they all helped and had conversations with whoever they needed to talk to, they were able to push it over the top.
“Sports is a huge factor in a lot of these major cities. And I’m glad we can get it done for everybody to move forward. I know New York City fans are excited about it.”
The Nets may not hold the same political sway, but they’re still benefactors of baseball’s power since Irving will begin playing at home Sunday against the Hornets. It’s worth noting that Mets owner Steve Cohen donated $1.5 million to Mayor Adams’ campaign last year and Yankees president Randy Levine, a former City Hall official, worked with the government towards this solution.
Durant said Thursday’s announcement of the athlete mandate exception wasn’t celebrated by the Nets or Irving, who “knew this day was going to come.” But Durant acknowledged it solves one of the team’s biggest issues this season — the offensive struggles at home, where the Nets are just 16-19 this season.
“I mean, sh-t. Somebody who can make shots from all over the floor on anyone efficiently, of course,” Durant said.
Irving, who has been previously fined for not speaking to the media, declined to talk after Friday’s practice.
“Kyrie is pretty much level mentally regardless of the situation,” Durant said. “He approaches it the same and he came in and not a change in emotion. He knew this day was going to come and he was patient and we all were and now we can move on.”
Asked if it was fair for Irving to miss so many games before the athlete exception, Durant replied, “Life isn’t fair.”
Still, the reintegration of the wealthy and famous unvaccinated won’t happen without pushback. The mandates remain for other private and City workers, including the 1,400 municipal employees who were fired after refusing the shot. Pat Lynch, a New York police union chief, highlighted the contradiction with a forceful statement.
“While celebrities were in lockdown, New York City police officers were on the street throughout the pandemic, working without adequate PPE and in many cases contracting and recovering from COVID-19 themselves,” Lynch said. “They don’t deserve to be treated like second-class citizens now.”
A spokeswoman for the United Federation of Teachers also chimed in.
“The city should not create exceptions to its vaccination requirements without compelling reason,” the spokeswoman said. “If the rules are going to be suspended, particularly for people with influence, then the UFT and other city unions are ready to discuss how exceptions could be applied to city workers.”
Boston and Los Angeles have also exempted professional athletes from vaccine mandates. Durant agreed the circumstances are strange.
“All of it’s weird. COVID is weird. It just came out of nowhere,” he said. “How we reacted to COVID has been where it’s not the perfect situation for anybody. It’s crazy that people lost their jobs based off a vaccine and people that stood on what they believed in and waited this process out, now they’re able to work. It’s a weird situation. Nobody is a winner in any of this stuff. Everybody is trying to figure it out as we go. I think we’ve been doing a solid job of understanding all of this.”
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