ESPN and SiriusXM host Stephen A. Smith has issued a public apology to Kyrie Irving for criticizing the NBA star’s refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine, saying Irving may have been “more right” than he was given credit for.
Smith made the admission on Friday’s episode of his SiriusXM show after watching former White House medical advisor Anthony Fauci deflect COVID-vaccine questions before Congress. “The person I thought about most was Kyrie Irving,” Smith said.
“There’s several people that we all owe apologies to, and I’ll put myself at the front of the list, but none more so than the apology that I owe to Kyrie Irving,” he said.
A costly stand
Irving was a member of the Brooklyn Nets when the vaccine reached the market nearly five years ago. With the NBA deferring to local laws, Irving was barred from playing home games and temporarily held out of road games by the team. He missed 35 games in total, costing him roughly $13 million in lost pay. The Nets finished 44-38 that season before losing to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.
Smith also mentioned other vaccine skeptics, including then-Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers and tennis player Novak Djokovic, saying they may have been right in their stance as well.
“The reality is, is that Kyrie Irving, no matter what we think, may have been more right than we have given him credit for and unquestionably was more vilified than he deserved,” Smith said. “And ladies and gentleman, it starts with me.”
Walking back a sharp rebuke
Smith’s original criticism came in October 2021, when he blasted Irving for saying he wanted to be a “voice for the voiceless” by refusing the vaccine. At the time, Smith said Irving was compromising the championship aspirations of an organization he had helped recruit Kevin Durant and James Harden to join. Smith called the stance self-righteous and said it made Irving appear untrustworthy, though he stopped short of calling Irving stupid.
On Friday, Smith reversed course entirely. “Hindsight-wise it didn’t make him stubborn or selfish,” he said. “It made him brave for his willingness to stand up.” Irving now plays for the Dallas Mavericks.