US basketball player Kyrie Irving has said he didn’t want to lose salary or a chance to compete for a championship with the Brooklyn Nets, but was doing “what’s best for me” by refusing to get the Covid-19 vaccine.

The Nets decided on Tuesday that Irving wouldn’t be with the team because he isn’t eligible to play in home games, where a New York mandate requires professional athletes on one of the city’s teams to be vaccinated to practice or play in public venues.

Speaking on Instagram Live, Irving said he loved basketball and wasn’t going to retire.

“I am doing what’s best for me. I know the consequences here and if it means that I’m judged and demonised for that, that’s just what it is,” Irving said. “That’s the role I play, but I never wanted to give up my passion, my love, my dream just over this mandate.”

Read the full AP story here.