Jemele Hill Chides Kyrie Irving on MSNBC for Refusing to Get Vaxxed And Endangering Black Community

according to Hill, the cost of refusing the vaccine will be more than just financial for Irving.Show more

“Because Kyrie is such a thoughtful person, I really want him to look at the bigger picture here,” Hill told Nicole Wallace on MSNBC. “The bigger picture is that this virus has disproportionately impacted his community.”

“He’s Native American,” Hill explained of Irving on MSNBC’s Deadline: White House. “And what the disease has done to Native American indigenous communities is just devastating. The same has happened in the African American community as well.”

Most of the NBA is setting a positive example for fans, with more than 95 percent of the league already vaccinated against Covid, a percentage exceeding that of the NFL and Major League Baseball. But as a superstar and vice president of the NBA Players Association, Irving’s refusal to get vaccinated carries weight among his peers and the community.

“With somebody in a position of leadership and influence, he needs to think about how his message is being received by the people who look up to him, who watch him, who idolize him,” Hill continued. “Everybody that watches Kyrie Irving doesn’t have millions of dollars.”