"We talked about it, but that's ultimately his decision" - Kevin Durant says he has spoken to Kyrie Irving about the COVID-19 vaccine and what it means to both players

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are powering the Brooklyn Nets to a strong finish to their 2021-22 campaign. Two nights after Durant torched the New York Knicks with a 53-point game, Irving hit a new career-high with a 60-point masterpiece against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday. Durant and Irving are now the first teammates in NBA history to score 50+ points in consecutive games even as the Nets have pulled off four successive wins in a row.

However, one area of concern for Brooklyn continues to be about Irving's unavailability for the Nets' home games because of his unvaccinated status against COVID-19. With the playoffs about a month away, the Nets would love to have their superstar point guard available for games played at Barclays Center, which he isn't currently allowed to participate in at the moment.

Kevin Durant spoke on the matter after the win against the Magic, in which the forward had 19 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Durant said he had spoken to Kyrie Irving about the vaccination. He said:

"Me and Kyrie had conversations about the vaccine and what it meant to him, meant to me. At the end of the day, I didn't think it was my decision on what he wanted to do with the vaccine. I gave him how I felt about it and we talked about it, but that's ultimately his decision."

Kevin Durant says Kyrie Irving should not got any extra criticism for not getting vaccinated

Kyrie Irving's decision not to get vaccinated against COVID-19 has drawn criticism from several quarters. However, Kevin Durant feels that any extra criticism of his teammate on account of his unvaccinated status is unwarranted.

Durant himself took on New York City mayor Eric Adams after the win against the Knicks on Sunday, saying that the vaccine policy that kept Irving out of Brooklyn home games was "stupid". Durant said:

"But everybody out here is looking for attention, and that’s what I feel the mayor wants right now is some attention. He’ll figure it out soon. He better, but it just didn't make any sense. It’s unvaxxed people in this building already. We’ve got a guy who can come into the building. I guess, are they fearing our safety?"

Durant added:

"I don’t get it. We’re all confused. Pretty much everybody in the world is confused at this point. Earlier on in the season, people didn’t understand what’s going on, but now it just looks stupid. So hopefully, Eric (Adams), you’ve gotta figure this out."