Kyrie Irving gets bad news about potential return to Nets

The brief glimmer of hope for Kyrie Irving to return to the court for the Brooklyn Nets this season seems to be fading away.

New York City mayor-elect Eric Adams appeared Friday on CNN and was asked specifically about Irving, who remains ineligible to play due to the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

“New York is not going to change their rules,” said Adams, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “It’s up to the NBA and Kyrie Irving to work something out.”

Adams, who was just elected mayor this week, had hinted at “revisiting” the city’s vaccine mandate enacted by incumbent mayor Bill de Blasio. That led to speculation that Irving might have a pathway to return to the Nets when Adams assumed office in January. But Adams, who is currently the borough president of Brooklyn, was speaking in the context of encouraging de Blasio to reach a deal with local labor unions on the mandate. de Blasio has since done so, striking a deal with four city unions to give unvaccinated workers more time to apply for exemptions.

A January relaxation of the mandate would have given Irving enough time to return for the second half of the NBA season. Instead, the Nets, who are currently 5-3, will have to keep doing without him for the foreseeable future.

Photo: Feb 1, 2020; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving (11) during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports