OVER-AND-BACK

Kyrie Irving Makes Grand NBA Return... by Entering COVID Protocol

His return to the league lasted all of 19 hours.

Kyrie Irving’s season with the Brooklyn Nets seems to be synonymous with bad luck. Just 19 hours after the Nets announced it would allow the unvaccinated Irving to play part-time when possible—that is, wherever he would be allowed to play under local regulations—the team said Irving had entered the NBA’s COVID-19 safety protocols, according to The Athletic. Irving tested positive for COVID, Nets Daily reported. It means he will need to return five consecutive days of negative COVID-19 tests before rejoining the team. Kevin Durant, the team’s star player, also entered health and safety protocols Saturday morning.

Vaccinated players enter protocols if they return a positive or inconclusive test, whereas unvaccinated players have a lower bar for entering, including if they’re exposed to a positive person or if they enter a “higher-risk setting” like a bar or restaurant. COVID has been ravaging the NBA lately, particularly among the Nets, which is why they’d opted to bring back Irving, who had been sidelined for refusing to be vaccinated.