Kyrie Irving made headlines throughout the 2021–22 NBA season due to his stance on the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Nets guard would not get the vaccine even when New York City set a vaccine mandate for private employers, meaning unvaccinated professional athletes in the city were not allowed to compete in home games. Eventually, the mandate was changed allowing Irving to play in Brooklyn towards the end of the season.
In Wednesday’s episode of The ETCs with Kevin Durant and Eddie Gonzalez, Irving called himself a “martyr” because of the situation.