NBA News: Nets Bring Back Kyrie Irving Amid COVID-19 Outbreak

The Brooklyn Nets shocked the NBA earlier this year when they decided to shut down Kyrie Irving for the time being. Considering Irving wouldn't comply with New

The Brooklyn Nets shocked the NBA earlier this year when they decided to shut down Kyrie Irving for the time being. Considering Irving wouldn't comply with New York's vaccine mandate, the superstar guard was eligible to practice at home but only play in road games for the Nets, thus making him a part-time player.

At first, it seemed the Nets were willing to go through with only having Irving available when the team is playing away from home. But then the organization made the shocking decision to shut him down until further notice.

"We have decided Kyrie Irving will not play or practice with the team until he is eligible to be a full participant," said Brooklyn's General Manager Sean Marks. "Kyrie has made a personal choice, and we respect his individual right to choose. Currently, his choice restricts his ability to be a full-time member of the team, and we will not permit any member of our team to participate with part-time availability."

The Nets stuck to their decision and kept Irving away from the team for their first 29 games of the year. While Brooklyn did a fine job without Irving in the lineup, achieving a 21-8 record and remaining the top team in the Eastern Conference, they got hit hard by COVID-19 recently as seven players entered the health and safety protocol this week. In addition to those in the protocol, the Nets also have some injuries that set them back as well.

Therefore, the organization has decided to change its stance on Irving's status, for the time being. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Brooklyn will bring Irving back to the team to participate as a part-time player.

ESPN Sources: With the unfolding circumstances of Brooklyn’s season – including injuries, Covid losses and an inordinate minutes load on their superstar players – the Nets are bringing back All-Star guard Kyrie Irving as a part-time player for games outside of New York.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 17, 2021

Per Wojnarowski's report, "Irving has been unwilling satisfy New York City mandates and become vaccinated to play home games," so far this year. Therefore, he remains ineligible to play home games for the Nets.

Regardless, bringing the seven-time All-Star back to the starting lineup is a huge boost for Brooklyn. Whether Irving remains with the team long-term or not is unclear, but it seems the Nets are willing to do whatever it takes to remain in first place.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.