For longtime NBA fans, Smith\u2019s apology carries weight. Known for his fiery commentary, he rarely walks back his takes. In 2021, he was one of the loudest voices criticizing Irving, arguing that his refusal hurt the Brooklyn Nets and betrayed teammates. Now, five years later, Smith admitted he misjudged the situation and that Irving\u2019s choice was personal, not malicious.<\/p>\n
Back in October 2021, Irving explained on social media that he opposed mandates, emphasizing freedom and human rights. He feared unknown side effects and rejected being forced to inject chemicals into his body. While he respected those who chose vaccination, he insisted it wasn\u2019t for him. Smith and others blasted him, but Irving clarified he wasn\u2019t anti\u2011vaccine, he was only against mandates.<\/p>\n
The controversy cost Irving dearly. He missed home games due to New York\u2019s mandate, lost millions in salary, and faced lots of criticism. Yet he never wavered, and Smith\u2019s apology now reframes the debate around respecting Kyrie\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n
Kyrie Irving Set to Make Return in 2026-27 NBA Season![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imago1078922253-1024x683.jpg\")
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Imago<\/p>\n
CHENGDU, CHINA – JUNE 27: American professional basketball player Kyrie Irving attends a fan meeting during his China tour on June 27, 2026 in Chengdu, Sichuan Province of China. PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxCHN Copyright: xVCGx 111650801541<\/p>\n
After missing the entire 2025\u201126 season with a torn left ACL, Irving has now been cleared for full basketball activities. NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Irving is ready to rejoin the Dallas Mavericks, where he\u2019ll play alongside rising star Cooper Flagg.<\/p>\n
With former Mavericks star Anthony Davis gone and veteran wing Klay Thompson rumored to be traded, fans worry about roster stability. Still, Dallas has rejected all inquiries about Irving, signaling no plans to move him.<\/p>\n
Irving is entering the second year of his three\u2011year contract, with a player option for 2027\u201128. For now, the Mavericks appear focused on building around Flagg while relying on Irving\u2019s veteran presence to guide the young core.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Stephen A. Smith has finally addressed his past criticism of Kyrie Irving\u2019s vaccine stance and offered an apology.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":838711,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[434],"tags":[277399,49,48,459,82],"class_list":["post-838710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-basketballnews","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/838710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=838710"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/838710\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/838711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=838710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=838710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=838710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}