Kyrie Irving reflects on heavy criticism for refusing the vaccine: ‘The life of a martyr’

Surprised by a vaccine mandate that left him unable to play for much of last season, Kyrie Irving described himself as a “martyr” for refusing the COVID-19 shot while facing heavy scrutiny.

“I was not expecting a mandate to be brought down in a way where it wasn’t going to let me play at all,” Irving told the Boardroom’s “The ETCs” podcast in an episode published Wednesday. “I had the opportunity to play away games still but there was no plan in place, there was no vision of how it was going to work for our team. And I think that not only impacted not just me, but a lot of people. Just had to sit in that hot seat for a little bit and deal with it. The life of a martyr, bro.”

Irving’s anti-vaccination stance initially prompted the Nets to remove the point guard from all games and practices, claiming it unfeasible to have a part-time player for only away contests. GM Sean Marks quickly backtracked and Irving debuted on Jan. 5 in Indiana.

Still, the New York City mandate kept Irving from playing home games until April, leaving the 30-year-old with just 29 appearances during the regular season. The Nets flamed out in the playoffs and Irving, who struggled in that first-round sweep to the Celtics, acknowledged his absences were a hindrance.

“I had to play catch-up,” Irving said. “And playing catch-up in a league that’s only getting better, it’s not the position you’d like to be in.”

Irving, who still hasn’t explained his reason for rejecting the vaccine beyond “a personal decision,” clearly doesn’t regret his decision. And while becoming a hero to the anti-vax and anti-mandate movements — drawing praise, for instance, from right-wing politicians like Senator Ted Cruz (Texas) — Irving was panned by many media outlets for failing his team.

ESPN maven Stephen A Smith was a relentless critic of Irving last season.

“[The mandate] completely caught me off guard. I didn’t expect to come into the season with all this put on my plate,” Irving said. “It was an ultimatum given to me, it’s either you work and get vaccinated just like this ultimatum was given to other people, or you sit at home and now we get to talk s—t about your decisions and me personally and make all these judgements and stuff.

“I had to deal with both ends of the spectrum. I sat right in the middle. I knew I was doing the right thing for me. And I had to stay rooted int that decision. And I’m grateful I had a great support system to get me through it because it wasn’t easy.”

Irving could become a free agent this summer by declining his $37 million player option. He has publicly expressed a desire to return to the Nets and continue his partnership with Kevin Durant, although Brooklyn will have to decide whether it’s prudent to invest longterm in a player who has logged at least 68 games just once in the last seven seasons.

Durant is signed until 2026 and Irving indicated he’d like to accompany his teammate through that contract.

“I’d like to put together four straight years of team dominance,” Irving said. “Winning 60-plus games. Going deep in the playoffs and having fun building relationships that extend beyond the court.”