Kyrie Irving’s vaccine story is bad

Michele Roberts, the outgoing leader of the Players Association, wants every NBA player to be vaccinated.

But she makes no apologies for the odd cases, such as Kyrie Irving’s scenario with the Nets, in which he is currently banned from training and home games for the Nets.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony in the Bronx for Earl Monroe’s Renaissance Basketball Charter School, Roberts said NBA players should be supported for their high vaccination rates instead of being pilloried for the much-publicized case of the Nets superstar playmaker.

“I’m not going to comment on Kyrie because that’s what Kyrie will do, make a decision,” Roberts told The Post. “But I’ll say you need to stop focusing on those 20+ players who aren’t vaccinated.

“Our numbers are 95.96% (vaccinated). This greatly exceeds the national average. What you need to do is ask what we can do to get the rest of the country to do what our players have been doing. “

Roberts, a Bronx native who will retire on Dec.31, is proud that the Knicks, her childhood team, are 100% vaccinated, but isn’t sure she’ll get the league at this point.

“Are we going to reach 100%? Roberts said. “I don’t know. Maybe we will, maybe we won’t. But we are still trying. But at this point, I’m not ashamed of our players or begging their forgiveness. that we are doing a lot better than the rest of the world. Not just the country and New York. ”

The players’ union voted to make the vaccination of players against COVID-19 voluntary and it is upholding this call.

However, Roberts said she “absolutely” wanted the players to choose to get the shots.

“And I haven’t been shy with our players,” said Roberts. “I think every player should be vaccinated. It is only me. The union voted that it should be a voluntary decision. I’m not the choir to preach to. I am the choir. But our rate is something we applaud and are proud of. I’m not going to apologize for the willful nature of this.

It was a “Who’s who” of NBA connoisseurs during the Monroe school affair. The legendary Knicks goalie opened a school in the Bronx with a regular program but adds a basketball component to teach underprivileged students the skills used in basketball (lawyer, agent, physiotherapist, coach, scouting, mathematical analysis , journalist, etc.).

Commissioner Adam Silver was on hand for the milestone event. Key members of the Knicks Brass – President Leon Rose, Senior Executive William Wesley, General Manager Scott Perry and Assistant General Manager Allan Houston – were also in attendance.

Silver declined to comment on the Irving issue as he will be holding a press conference shortly to address these issues.

The first freshman class of nearly 100 students gave Silver the biggest burst of cheers when introduced to speak. Silver told the students, “For every player in the NBA, there are 100 related jobs. “

The school lasted eight years – the idea of ​​legendary publicist and filmmaker Dan Klores, who introduced the Knicks brass to “the four, five people ready to make a championship team.”