On March 25, Beijing time, New York Mayor Eric Adams announced the implementation of a new vaccine policy to exempt unvaccinated athletes and performers, which also means that Irving is officially allowed to play in the home game, and he will make his home debut in the game against the Hornets on Monday (March 28, Beijing time)!
NBA officials then issued a statement that read: "The NBA League and players' unions have achieved a 97 percent vaccination rate and a 75 percent increased vaccination rate among players, and all league staff, team staff, and referees will continue to strongly support vaccination and vaccination policies." With today's announcement, we support the New York Mayor's decision that the old rule of treating home and away players differently no longer makes sense, especially as unvaccinated players are still being tested every day. We applaud the Mayor of New York for listening to the advice of local fans, players and the community, which has leveled the playing field for New York teams and their opponents. ”
Some fans posted P pictures to ridicule, and Irving finally defeated the mayor of New York. On the P chart, Irving crossed Adams, while the original picture was Iverson during the 76ers who crossed Tyrone Lue, who was playing for the Lakers at the time.
Irving previously missed 35 home games, lost about $16 million in salary and passed up a four-year, $181 million opportunity to renew his contract early. U.S. media pointed out that Irving is eligible for a maximum five-year, $235 million maximum salary contract this summer. However, given Irving's firm stance in refusing to be vaccinated and previous problems, it is unclear whether the Nets will offer such a contract.
The Nets, who had a 16-19 record at home in the absence of Irving, were only 108.8 in offensive efficiency at home and soared to 116.7 on the road.
In the past four games, Irving has been in hot form, averaging 43.8 points, 5.8 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game, shooting 62% from the field, 61% from three-point range and 89% from the free throw line. The US media sighed: "These are simply video game data." ”
So far this season, Irving has averaged 28.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, shooting 49.4 percent from the field, 43.8 percent from three-point range and 90.8 percent from the free throw line, with a chance to reach the standard of 180 clubs (50+40+90) for the second consecutive season, and only Bird and Nash have ever done so. However, Irving's number of appearances is likely to be too small to meet the official minimum data requirements: at least 300 shots, 82 three-pointers and 125 free throws throughout the season. Irving currently has up to nine games to play, and he has hit 207 shots, 67 three-pointers and 89 free throws.