Even more aggravating is the brainless reality that Irving can sit in the stands maskless to watch his team play, but he cannot participate in the game. Amid the vaccine debate, many in the NBA have and continue to remain silent on this issue, inadvertently kissing the ring of Dr. Anthony Fauci, former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, and the national media — but thankfully, more and more people are saying enough is enough. The most recent example of this came from NBA legend Kevin Durant, who sounded the alarm on the need to curtail the vaccine policy and called on the New York City mayor to “figure it out.” This debate over the vaccine was never about health — it was about maintaining the power of the people in the name of science. Former President Donald Trump said it best: “We cannot let the cure [to COVID-19] be worse than the disease itself.” And if these vaccine, mask, and COVID-19-related mandates have taught us anything, we have made the cure worse than the disease.

It’s been long overdue for federal, state, and local leaders to disband every COVID-19 mandate and for the NBA and New York state and city officials to allow Irving to play ball.