Kyrie Irving, Andrew Wiggins Vaccine Stance Will Cost Them Big Money
Kyrie Irving and Andrew Wiggins have very publicly announced they won't get the COVID-19 vaccine. Given the teams they play for, that will be a very costly decision.
Irving will not be able to play for the Brooklyn Nets at home given restrictions on unvaccinated individuals in New York. The same goes for Andrew Wiggins with the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco. That means neither guy will be able to play any home games. That could be a big problem financially for both guys.
On Wednesday, NBA spokesman Mike Bass had the following to say about players who don't comply with local vaccine mandates:
NBA spokesman Mike Bass: "Any player who elects not to comply with local vaccination mandates will not be paid for games that he misses."
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 29, 2021
So they won't make money from games they don't play in, meaning both guys will forfeit half their salaries.
So there it is…
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) September 29, 2021
Andrew Wiggins will forfeit $15.8 MILLION this season if he refuses to get vaccinated.
Kyrie Irving will forfeit $17.5 million if he chooses not to get vaccinated. https://t.co/EQpdiSOeQk
Yes, that's right, Wiggins is going to pass up $15.8 million, while Irving will give up $17.5 million this season because of their refusal to get a vaccine of which more than 391 million doses have been administered in the United States alone.
The NBA Players Association might go to bat for its unvaccinated members, but I don't see how this is going to change. Owners are never going to agree to shell out full salaries for guys who can't play, and the NBA can't supersede local mandates.
It appears Wiggins and Irving are going to cost themselves an insane amount of money over their vaccine stance.