"Kyrie's a good brother, man. Kyrie's a good brother. We used to butt heads because he missed work too damn much! And I'm like, Yo, man, this brother's electrifying. I want to see this brother dancing on the basketball court. I don't want to hear no shit about no Covid vaccine. Get your ass on the court! I need to see you!"
"Now, obviously, in hindsight, the brother's right because we see all the conspiracy theories that come out; and props to him for seeing, for having the foresight to see that. We didn't see that at the time. But you also have to understand, I'm living in a world where you got cats making 38, 40, 45 million [dollars]. You got GMs and owners complaining about it, and you got billionaires looking me in the face and saying, Yo, Stephen A, I took that damn vaccine."
Stephen A. Smith revised his view and now considers Kyrie Irving justified in refusing the COVID-19 vaccine. Irving was ruled ineligible at the start of the 2021-22 season under New York City's vaccine mandate and did not return until December 2021. Irving maintained his refusal and faced widespread debate and criticism for missing games. Smith initially criticized Irving for potentially sacrificing his career and for missed work. Smith later acknowledged conspiracy theories that emerged, praised Irving's foresight, and noted the pressure from high player salaries, team officials, owners, and government mandates that complicated individual decisions.
Read at www.mediaite.com
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