Kyrie Irving will reportedly be allowed to play Nets home games again as the playoffs near

• New York City is reportedly set to end the vaccine mandate that has kept Kyrie Irving from playing home games.
• Irving has not received a COVID-19 vaccine and has been unable to play games in Brooklyn.

The Brooklyn Nets appear to be getting a boost just before the NBA playoffs begin, as Kyrie Irving's availability may soon change.

According to Politico, New York City Mayor Eric Adams is "poised" to announce on Thursday the lifting of the vaccine mandate for performers and entertainers in New York.

The mandate had prevented Irving, who has not received a COVID-19 vaccine, from playing home games at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

New York City has gradually relaxed masking and vaccination mandates in recent weeks. However, a private-sector mandate didn't allow Irving to play Nets home games despite fans no longer needing to be vaccinated to enter Barclays Center.

This tension had been highlighted in recent weeks, as Irving watched a college basketball game, then the Nets game, unmasked, from the stands at Barclays Center, but was not allowed to play. NBA players, including Kevin Durant and LeBron James, had called the rules nonsensical, with Durant even telling Adams to "figure it out."

Irving's decision not to get vaccinated has partially caused the Nets season to go sideways. The Nets initially did not let Irving play road games with the team, saying they wanted him to become a full-time member. However, they eventually relented when the team got hit with a wave of COVID cases.

Reports had suggested that former Nets guard James Harden had grown frustrated with Irving's refusal to get vaccinated and, thus, Irving's lack of availability. Harden had joked to reporters that he would give Irving the shot himself. Harden later requested a trade and was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Nets, considered the title favorites entering the season, currently sit in 8th place in the Eastern Conference at 38-34. Though they'll face an uphill battle in the playoffs — if they make it through the play-in tournament — the addition of Irving as a full-time member of the team will be a welcomed boost. Irving has averaged 27.7 points on 49% shooting, 43% from three, and 5.3 assists per game this season.

According to Politico, the end of the mandate will also affect unvaccinated players from the New York Yankees and New York Mets.