Kyrie Irving has decided for the time being that he is not going to get the vaccine, and he has every right to do that. If he continues to decide not to get the vaccine, he will lose some money and decrease the chances of the Nets winning a title.
Irving spoke on Instagram Live Wednesday night to explain his stance and why he is doing what he is doing.
“The financial consequences, I know I do not want to even do that. But it is the reality that to be in New York City, to be on a team, I have to be vaccinated. I chose to be unvaccinated, and that was my choice, and I would ask you all to respect that choice,” explained Irving.
The problem is the people who are comparing him to Muhammed Ali.
Former NBA star Stephon Marbury had the guts to make such a lazy comparison.
“Ali would be proud of you. You [are] bringing the vaccinated and unvaccinated together. That’s a different power. No one [has] ever seen it before,” Marbury comments.
Stephon Marbury was a great player. It is okay for him to support Kyrie, but it is pretty clear that he does not understand the difference between Ali and Irving. A lot of people like what Kyrie is doing and think highly of him because of his stance. However, Muhammed Ali is a legend, and Kyrie Irving is not for several reasons, but one main reason stands out.
Kyrie Irving made a decision that was not going to help people in the long run. The science shows that if you get the vaccine, you are less likely to get serious from Covid-19. Most of the sick people in the hospital are not vaccinated.
Muhammed Ali decided to try to help people. The Vietnam War would take so many unnecessary lives, so Ali avoided going to fight in the war because he wanted to save lives. This right here is where the line should be drawn. Ali was legit trying to prevent people from fighting in a war they had no business being involved in.
Irving wants people to continue to have the freedom to do what they want, which they have, but they are free from the consequences of their actions. For example, he is against vaccine mandates, and the NBA does not have one, but the people he is fighting have to deal with mandates. An employer has the right to do what is best for their company, so an employee not listening to their boss by getting the vaccine deserves to be fired.
Another thing people have to understand is that even though Ali did what he did. He did not make as much money as the athletes do today. So, his stance was still difficult, but the financial ramifications of his actions were not that great.
In the end, a former described NBA player described Kyrie Irving with the perfect phrase. He is “contrarian without a cause.” You could never say that about Muhammed Ali, and that is why comparing the two is irresponsible.
Photo courtesy of the nytimes.com
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