Kyrie Irving is one of the highest-paid players in the NBA, and that also translates into one of the biggest potential fines for being unvaccinated.
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps reported on Monday that the NBA and the NBPA have agreed to a reduction of 1/91.6th of a player’s salary for every game he misses in his home market for being unvaccinated. For Irving, that would equal roughly $381,000 per game, Bontemps adds.
The 1/91.6th reduction will only apply to unvaccinated players who cannot participate in home games due to local public health ordinances. For now, that consists of players on the Golden State Warriors (San Francisco) as well as the New York Knicks and Irving’s Brooklyn Nets (New York City).
A player on one of those teams recently decided to get vaccinated amid the possibility of financial penalty. Irving, who is under contract for $34.9 million next season, has incentive to do so as well, even beyond just preserving his salary.
