ESPN and SiriusXM host Stephen A. Smith has issued an apology to NBA player Kyrie Irving for his past criticism of Irving's refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Smith stated on his SiriusXM show Friday that watching former White House medical advisor Anthony Fauci's congressional testimony prompted him to reconsider his earlier stance on vaccine mandates and those who opposed them, including Irving.
"There's several people that we all owe apologies to, and I'll put myself at the front of the list, but none more so than the apology that I owe to Kyrie Irving," Smith said. He added that Irving, while vilified, "may have been more right than we have given him credit for."
Smith recalled his own public criticism of Irving in October 2021, when Irving was with the Brooklyn Nets. At the time, Smith questioned Irving's decision to forgo vaccination, which led to him missing a significant portion of the season due to local mandates. Irving ultimately missed 35 games, reportedly costing him $13 million in salary, and the Nets were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
Smith characterized Irving's stance as a willingness to "stand up and say 'Nah, I'm not doing that,'" and in hindsight, viewed it not as stubbornness or selfishness, but as bravery.
Irving, now a member of the Dallas Mavericks, was a prominent athlete who publicly refused the COVID-19 vaccine when it became available. His decision led to widespread debate and significant professional consequences, including being barred from playing home games in New York and temporarily from road games by the Nets. Smith noted that others, such as Aaron Rodgers and Novak Djokovic, also expressed skepticism about vaccines.
Smith's earlier remarks on his show suggested he found Irving's position illogical, questioning how it would serve his career or allow him to be a "voice for the voiceless." He had called the stance "alarming," suggesting it made Irving appear "hypocritical and untrustworthy."