Kyrie Irving rejoins Brooklyn Nets despite being unvaccinated

Kyrie Irving has made a triumphant, yet scaled down, return to the Brooklyn Nets after being removed from the roster in October. The Nets organization had barred him from playing after he refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19, however a recent string of injuries and COVID cases among players have caused team executives to reverse their decision.

As The Daily Wire reports, because New York City has a vaccine mandate, Irving will not be permitted to play home games at the Barclays Center, nor will he be allowed to cross the border for games in Toronto. Unless he gets vaccinated, Irving will only be allowed to participate in road games within the United States.

According to NBA.com, Irving could be back out on the court by January 5, however head coach Steve Nash says there's "no urgency," adding that he doesn't think it's smart to "rush him into games," citing the fact that he's not played since October.

In an interview, Irving said he "understood [the Nets'] choice to say 'if you're not gonna be vaccinated, fully vaccinated, then you can't be a full participant'," adding that while he "knew the consequences," he was not prepared for the ramifications of not getting the vaccine.