"I doubt we'll see an apology to Novak Djokovic"- Riley Gaines reacts as Stephen A Smith changes stance over Kyrie Irving's views on vaccine

Riley Gaines recently reacted to Stephen A. Smith after he changed his opinion about NBA star Kyrie Irving's decision not to take the COVID-19 vaccine, something that the former criticized for years. The former Kentucky swimmer highlighted that the same understanding should also be extended to athletes like Novak Djokovic and Aaron Rodgers.

During the 2021-22 NBA season in Brooklyn, the most notable thing was Irving's refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19, which was in violation of local health guidelines. The NBA did not make the vaccination compulsory; however, the players were instructed to follow local laws, which initially resulted in Irving being sidelined in all home games. One of the biggest critics of Irving during this period was the ESPN pundit, Stephen A. Smith..

Years after this, Smith has now changed sides and recently admitted that Irving was right for not getting the vaccination in a conversation with Carmelo Anthony. A video of their conversation about Irving being right made rounds on the internet, which caught Riley Gaines' attention, who then indirectly highlighted that Novak Djokovic and Aaron Rodgers also deserve the apology, as both of them were also against being vaccinated.

"I doubt we’ll be seeing an apology to @AaronRodgers12 or @DjokerNole anytime soon," wrote Gaines.

Djokovic did not take the COVID-19 vaccination, which resulted in him missing the 2022 US Open, and along with this, he was also disqualified from the Australian Open after his visa got cancelled because he wasn't vaccinated.

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Riley Gaines took a dig at the polarizing headlines after announcing the birth of her daughter

The former swimmer and women's rights activist recently gave birth to a girl, Margot, on September 29, 2025, and shared this good news with adorable pictures of her and her family on social media. However, shortly after this, she re-shared a tweet from the New York Post's X handle on her timeline, slamming the news portal for their initial headline, which was later edited.

The original tweet mentioned Gaines as an 'anti-trans activist,' as written:

"Anti-trans athlete activist Riley Gaines gives birth to daughter."

Replying to this tweet, Gaines penned a strong message, clarifying her identity as a 'Women's right activist,' writing:

"Our daughter will learn to read this headline as 'Women's rights activist Riley Gaines gives birth to daughter'. You don't hate the media enough," wrote Gaines.

Riley Gaines recently criticized the California Democratic governor candidate for suggesting gender neutrality at the upcoming 2028 Olympics.

Edited by Tushhita Barua