For weeks, Kyrie Irving’s vaccination status has been one of the most pressing topics in sports media. As one-third of the Brooklyn Nets’ big three, the 2016 NBA champion’s presence on the court is crucial, but due to his home stadium’s vaccination mandate as well as his choice to refrain from getting vaccinated, Irving would only be allowed to play at away games. This week, Nets GM Sean Marks announced that Kyrie would not be able to play any games or attend any practices until he is “eligible to be a full participant,” and thus, the trouble brewing in Brooklyn has received even more media attention.
On Tuesday, Florida politician and congressional candidate Lavern Spencer chimed in on the discussion surrounding Kyrie Irving’s vaccination status, and while offering a critique of forced vaccinations, the Republican also referenced Magic Johnson’s HIV diagnosis in 1991.
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In an exceptionally wild tweet, Spicer wrote, “They let Magic Johnson play basketball with FULL-BLOWN HIV but won’t let Kyrie Irving play because he won’t get a COVID shot.”
While congressional candidate Lavern Spicer’s tweet was completely out of pocket, it turns out that there is a subset of Twitter who actually agrees with her reasoning.
Fortunately, there were Twitter users who understood the difference between how HIV and COVID-19 are transmitted, and some of them even used the educational moment to get some jokes off as well.
Are you surprised that Lavern Spicer publicly equated Kyrie Irving’s vaccine hesitancy to Magic Johnson’s HIV diagnosis? Or do you think that she made a valid point? Explain your thoughts on the situation in the comment section and stay tuned for more news related to Kyrie Iriving’s vaccine status.