Kyrie Irving: Nets superstar enters NBA's Health and Safety Protocols

Gilbert McGregor

Kyrie Irving: Nets superstar enters NBA's Health and Safety Protocols image

Kyrie Irving has met a setback in his return to the Brooklyn Nets.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski , the Nets say that Irving has been placed in the NBA's Health and Safety Protocols. The news comes less than 24 hours after the franchise announced that it would permit Irving to re-join the team on a part-time basis.

MORE: Nets make way for Kyrie to re-join team

Irving, who is not vaccinated for COVID-19, has yet to suit up for the Nets this season.

According to New York City rules for unvaccinated persons , Irving is not allowed to play in Nets home games or road games against the Knicks. Irving is, however, allowed to practice at the team's private facility and play in road games outside of a visit to the Raptors, which is prohibited due to Canadian laws for unvaccinated athletes.

After initially stating the team would not allow Irving to be a part-time participant, Nets general manager Sean Marks changed his course , citing discussions with players and coaching staff and a lack of player availability due to injury and COVID-19 as the reasons for allowing Irving to re-join the team.

Irving is one of nine Nets' players to enter health and safety protocols this week, with the news of his entry coming just an hour after it was announced that Kevin Durant had been placed in the protocols . Durant and Irving join a list that already included LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre' Bembry, Bruce Brown, Jevon Carter, James Harden, James Johnson and Paul Millsap.

Wojnarowski reported that Irving's return to the team is dependent upon him testing negative on five consecutive days. Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News provided clarification that Irving's entry into the league's health and safety protocols is an indication that he has returned a COVID-19 test result that is positive or inconclusive.

Once Irving is permitted to re-join the team, he will then be placed into a return-to-play program before he is able to make his season debut.

Irving is eligible to play in 24 of the Nets' 53 remaining games, but his entry into health and safety protocols clouds any timeline of his potential return to action. He has not played in a game since June 13, 2021.

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Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.