Michelle Roberts, the outgoing president of the Players Union, wants every NBA player to be vaccinated.
But she does not apologize for strange cases, Like the scenario of Kyrie Irving with Nets, which is currently prohibited from Home Nets practices and Home Nets games.
Speaking at a ribbon-cutting event in the Bronx for Earl Monroe’s Renaissance Basketball Charter School, Roberts said NBA players should be supported for their high vaccination rate rather than being vilified. High-profile case for Superstar nets point guard.
“I’m not going to comment on Kyrie because that’s what Kyrie is going to do, that is, make a decision,” Roberts told The Post. “But I will say you need to stop focusing on the 20+ players who haven’t been vaccinated.
“Our numbers are 95-, 96% (vaccination). This is well above 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 done.”
Roberts, a native of the Bronx who will retire on December 31, is proud of the Knicks, her childhood team, They are 100% vaccinated But she’s not sure she’ll get the league to that point.
“Are we going to get to 100 percent?” Roberts said. “I don’t know. Maybe we will, maybe not. But we’re still trying. But at this point, I’m not ashamed of our players or asking for forgiveness. Because we’re doing a lot better than the rest of the world. Not just the country and New York City.”
The Players Association has voted to make it voluntary for players to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and they are standing by this call.
However, Roberts said she “absolutely” wants players to choose shots.
“And I’m not ashamed of our players,” said Roberts. “I think every player should be vaccinated. It’s me. The guild voted that it should be a voluntary decision. I am not the choir to be preached. I am the choir. But our rate is something we applaud and take pride in. I will not apologize for the voluntary nature of that.”
NBA cognoscenti’s “Who’s Who” has been in a Monroe School relationship. The legendary Knicks guard opened a school in the Bronx with a regular curriculum but added a basketball component to teach underprivileged students the skills used in the basketball field (lawyer, agent, physical therapist, coaching, survey, sports analytics, journalist, etc.).
Commissioner Adam Silver was on hand for this important event. Senior members of the Knicks Brass team — President Leon Rose, Chief Executive Officer William Wesley, GM Scott Perry, and Assistant General Manager Alan Houston — were among the attendees.
Silver will not comment on Irving’s case because he is holding a press conference soon to address these matters.
The first class of freshmen gave nearly 100 Silver students the biggest round of cheers when he was introduced to speak. Silver told the students, “For every player in the NBA, there are 100 related jobs.”
The school was eight years in the making – The brainchild of legendary publicist and director Dan Cloris, who presented the Copper Knicks as “four and five people willing to build a championship team.”