Report: Group of High-Profile NBA Players Disagrees with Kyrie Irving on Restart

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving has been a “driving force” in calls with NBA players regarding reservations about resuming the currently suspended 2019-20 season, per Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck.

There appears to be a contingent of star players in disagreement with that notion, however, with Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports providing a report Friday:

“A faction of high-profile players are in disagreement with Irving’s assertions, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

“Several high-profile players have been communicating with others en masse about the financial and practical implications if they don’t play, sources said.

“If there are no more games, the owners can and will likely activate the force majeure clause and re-open the collective bargaining agreement, and the players would have little leverage with the owners because of how the economy has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported earlier Friday that many players were upset that their voices weren’t heard in the lead-in to the NBA and National Basketball Players Association’s decision to restart the campaign in late July at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida:

“The unease about relocating to a quarantined campus during the COVID-19 pandemic was already viewed as hazardous and unnecessary to many players. But because of the George Floyd tragedy and the powerful movement for racial justice that’s sweeping the nation, some players believe it’s bad optics for a league comprised predominantly of black men to be sequestered in one location for up to three months merely to entertain the masses and ease the league’s economic burden, sources said.”

Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks reported that a Zoom call with 50 players took place on Monday “discussing what they can do to take a stand.” She also reported that another call with around 150 players was set for Friday “to solidify what that stand is and stress this only works if they unify.” 

Irving’s Nets are one of 22 NBA teams scheduled to take part in the finish of the NBA’s suspended season, which has been on hold since March 11 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The six-time All-Star is out for the season following shoulder surgery in March but had “suggested” on a NBPA call that he would be heading to Florida to support the Nets despite being inactive, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.