Kyrie Irving attended Nets media day virtually and asked for privacy when asked about his vaccination status. Adam Hunger/Associated Press

NEW YORK — Unable to attend the Brooklyn Nets’ media day, Kyrie Irving asked for privacy Monday when pressed about his vaccination status and availability for home games.

On a bizarre day in which comedian David Letterman was present but Irving wasn’t, the All-Star guard spoke via Zoom through a monitor set up in the interview room at Barclays Center. New York has a mandate requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for athletes who play in or practice in the city.

Irving wouldn’t say if he has received a shot or if he intended to get one. If a player is not vaccinated, he would be forced to sit out the Nets’ home games.

“There’s just a lot of questions about what’s going on in the world of Kyrie and I think I’d love to just keep that private and handle it the right way with my team and go forward together with a plan,” Irving said. “So obviously I’m not able to be present there today, but that doesn’t mean that I’m putting any limits on the future of me being able to join the team.”

The Nets are hosting their training camp in San Diego, so Irving would be able to participate. They will return to Brooklyn after playing their exhibition opener in Los Angeles next Sunday.

“Please, everything will be released at a due date and once we get this cleared up,” Irving said. “As of right now, please just respect my privacy regarding anything — home games, what’s happening with vaccination.”

Advertisement

ROCKETS: As the Houston Rockets attempt to find a trade destination for John Wall, he’s focused on helping the team any way he can.

“My job here is to be a mentor,” Wall said.

The veteran isn’t expected to play for the Rockets while they search for a trade for the guard. General Manager Rafael Stone said they aren’t looking to buy out Wall’s contract but want to find a suitable trade.

“We’re looking at what can we find that works for everybody… for the long term,” Stone said.

Wall said it will be “very tough” not to play while the Rockets find him a new team, but he knows that this plan is what’s best for him.

COVID-19: Pandemic protocols forced Suns guard Elfrid Payton and Memphis big man Steven Adams to make some personal decisions during the offseason.

Advertisement

Payton was a holdout until recently when it comes to getting the COVID-19 vaccination The seven-year veteran – who signed with Phoenix during the offseason – just received his second shot on Sunday.

“I definitely had to change my mind,” Payton said. “It wasn’t something I wanted to do.”

Payton didn’t say exactly what changed his mind, just that he made the decision after understanding “how the league was handling it.”

Adams says he didn’t go home to New Zealand this offseason due to protocols.

“There’s a two-week quarantine at a hotel, so logistically it didn’t make sense because I still needed to work out and (I) can’t be locked up that long.”

Adams called the NBA’s goal of getting to 100% without a mandate a “pretty good goal.” The newly acquired Grizzlies’ center is vaccinated and says he’s part of the majority.

Advertisement

Told the league has at least 90% of players vaccinated, Adams said, “Pretty low goal I guess.”

Grizzlies Ja Morant hasn’t paid any attention to the NBA’s push to get everyone vaccinated because he has been vaccinated for a while with plenty of motivation to take extra precautions.

“I know a lot of people who had COVID and passed away,” Morant said. “Me, I just wanted to protect myself. Me and my family got it. I have a baby girl. I travel a lot. So can’t bring COVID back to her.”

WARRIORS: Forward Andrew Wiggins has declined to discuss whether he remains unvaccinated, but it certainly sounds like that’s the case.

Wiggins said during the team’s media day that he will continue to stand by his beliefs when it comes to not receiving a coronavirus vaccine.

“Back is definitely against the wall, but I’m just going to keep fighting for what I believe,” Wiggins said. “I’m going to keep fighting for what I believe is right. What’s right to one person isn’t right to the other and vice versa.”

Advertisement

Wiggins declined to explain what those beliefs actually entail, saying, “It’s none of your business, that’s what it comes down to.”

He faces the possibility of not being allowed into Golden State’s home building at Chase Center for games come Oct. 13 when the San Francisco Department of Public Health begins requiring proof of vaccination for large indoor events.

He also stands to lose more than $350,000 per game, and if he doesn’t play in any home games he would surrender half of his $31.6 million salary. He said, “It’s my problem not yours.”

Wiggins said he has been given some rules to follow when in the team’s facility but wouldn’t say whether he is required to wear a mask around teammates, for example.

The NBA on Friday said it had “reviewed and denied” Wiggins’ request for a religious exemption and that he would not be able to play in Warriors home games until he fulfilled the vaccine mandate. Anyone 12 or older is required to show proof of vaccination to attend indoor events at Chase Center, and that message is on the Warriors’ website for fans.

“It’s personal, it’s private,” GM Bob Myers said of players’ vaccination statuses. “What I would say is that I’m optimistic come the first game here at Chase we’ll have our full complement of team as far as who’s healthy and who isn’t.”

Advertisement

Coach Steve Kerr said he hadn’t given any thought to the idea of Wiggins not being available.

“We’ll just see how everything plays out,” Kerr said. “We’re hopeful that it all is resolved over the next couple of weeks, and we’re going into camp tomorrow with a plan to have everybody out on the floor and ready to roll.”

NUGGETS: Sharpshooting forward Michael Porter Jr. agreed to a five-year maximum extension with the Denver Nuggets that could be worth up to $207 million.

His agent, Mark Bartelstein, confirmed the deal to The Associated Press.

Porter’s agreement would be worth at least $173 million over five years and could rise to the supermax level of $207 million over that span if he reaches certain criteria this season.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.