[Youngmisuk] Joe Tsai on 'Stand with Kyrie' prоtesters: “It's cavalier for people to hijack something like this when life & death is at stake. People shouldn't make it into a pоlitical issue. These guys are nоt basketball fans. They could care less whether someone is on the court playing or not.”

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A group of protesters gathered outside Barclays Center prior to the team's home opener last Sunday. They were holding "Stand with Kyrie" signs and chanting, "No vaccine mandate. Stand with Kyrie." At one point, a handful of those demonstrators tried to make their way to the front door of Barclays Center before being held off by security.

"I just think that it's cavalier for people to hijack something like this when life and death is at stake," Tsai said. "People shouldn't make it into a political issue. So when you see protestors, they're definitely making a political statement. These guys are not basketball fans. They could care less whether someone is on the court playing or not.

"They're hijacking the issue, but it's dangerous because we have a life and death situation. The fact is, if you are not vaccinated and you catch COVID, you have a much higher probability of getting very, very sick and end up in the ICU and possibly die. That's the consequence."

Tsai has been a major advocate of getting vaccinated.

"I don't think it's a matter of belief," said Tsai, one of the co-founders, board of directors members and executive vice chairman of Alibaba Group. "I think it's a matter of fact. It's science.

"... We're now able to open up the economy, people are able to socialize, go to games, full capacity Barclays Center, because people are vaccinated. That is just a fact. I don't think it is a belief one way or the other."