Among his newfound supporters is Senator Ted Cruz, who called on the Houston Rockets to trade for Irving, given that employee vaccine mandates are banned in Texas. In a subsequent comment, Cruz accused the corporate media of trying to silence and coerce Irving. “‘If tyrannical politicians demand you take an injection, you have NO MEDICAL PRIVACY RIGHTS. You are a sheep & you must meekly comply,’” Cruz tweeted. “This is disgusting, condescending & wrong. Kyrie is showing incredible courage.” And while Cruz has frequently denounced the league and its star players for supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, the Texas Republican let all of the NBA’s anti-vax players know that he is on their side. “I stand with Kyrie Irving. I stand with Andrew Wiggins. I stand with Bradley Beal. I stand with Jonathan Isaac,” he wrote. “#YourBodyYourChoice.”

Cruz later went on to share a post written by right-wing radio host Jesse Kelly, who linked Irving’s stance to a group of Southwest Airlines pilots who Tucker Carlson claimed all called out sick over the company’s planned adherence to a federal vaccine mandate. (Southwest’s incoming CEO, Bob Jordan, said the walkout rumors were “flat-out not true.”) “What’s happening right now is significant. I promise you The System is scared,” Kelly wrote. “We’re FINALLY seeing real pushback from parts of the country The System didn’t expect. This will catch on. Cheer for Kyrie Irving. And Southwest Airlines pilots. They’re starting something.” However, Kelly was quick to let his followers know that he does not support Black Lives Matter even if he is supporting anti-vax NBA players. “I stopped watching NBA when it was taken over by #BlackLivesMatter communists. And I don’t like Kyrie Irving,” he added. “But I’m an adult who understands we’re in a fight and don’t have time to wait for the perfect vessel to fight these people. We take what we’ve got.”