Kyrie Irving Blames NYC Mayor Eric Adams For Sour Tenure With Nets In His Return To Brooklyn

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Kyrie Irving made his return to Brooklyn on Tuesday night and put on a show, scoring 36 points in the Dallas Mavericks' 119-107 win over the Nets. Brooklyn fans weren't exactly thrilled seeing their team's former point guard go off inside Barclays Center and it left many asking the same question: why couldn't Irving play like this for the Nets?

One fan in the building sitting courtside was even able to ask Irving that exact question during a break in the action on Tuesday night. 

Irving pinned the blame on New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

"Thank Mayor Adams for that, bro," Irving said after the fan hurled the same question at him two separate times.

While Irving's blunt response will rile up the crowd of folks still clinging to their masks, he makes a valid point.

Irving was not allowed to play in any of the Nets' home games at the start of the 2021-22 season after he made the decision not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The city had a mandate in place that kept unvaccinated players from playing in Brooklyn and Manhattan at Madison Square Garden.

READ: Kyrie Irving On Forced Vaccines: 'Biggest Violations Of HUMAN RIGHTS In History'

After a lengthy holdout, the Nets eventually allowed Irving to play in road games. It wasn't until March 2022 that Mayor Adams and the city lifted the mandate allowing unvaccinated professional athletes to play in the city. Irving ultimately played in just six regular season home games during the 2021-22 campaign and two home playoff games before the Nets were swept by the Boston Celtics in the first-round of the NBA Playoffs.

Irving moving in and out of the Nets' lineup during that season certainly made it difficult for the team to find any form of consistency. He was made the villain by most during the situation, however, instead of Mayor Adams and the city's ridiculous mandate keeping people from being able to do their jobs.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and all other happenings in the world of golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.