Unvaccinated NBA Players Will Not Be Paid for Games Missed
Unvaccinated NBA players who miss games because of vaccination regulations in San Francisco and New York will not be compensated for the time missed, the league announced Wednesday.
Mike Bass, the NBA’s executive vice president of communications said this:
“Any player who elects not to comply with local vaccination mandates will not be paid for games that he misses.”
VIA ESPN
According to ESPN, the order from New York requires any person entering the Barclays Center – home of the Brooklyn Nets – or Madison Square Garden – home of the New York Knicks – to have received at least one COVID-19 shot. In San Francisco, where the Golden State Warriors play, an individual must be fully vaccinated.
This news comes in light of several notable players publicly announcing their apprehension surrounding the vaccine. Nets guard Kyrie Irving drew the ire of many on NBA Twitter when he said that he would like to keep his vaccination status private. Warriors wing Andrew Wiggins echoed a similar statement at the Warriors’ media day on Monday, just three days after the NBA denied his request for a vaccine exemption. The Orlando Magic’s Jonathan Isaac was also a target of public scrutiny after a Rolling Stones’ article highlighted his concerns surrounding the vaccine. And finally, the Wizards’ talismanic guard Bradley Beal announced Monday that he chose to abstain from the vaccine for personal reasons.
Still, 90 percent of the league is vaccinated, according to the most recent report, with NBA insider Shams Charania saying that vaccination rates have been rising with training camps fast approaching. But the minority of players who remain unvaccinated appear to have drawn their line in the sand. Of course, that could change over time, and as both Irving and Wiggins are integral members of two teams looking to contend for a NBA title, the pair’s potential absences at their respective home games is something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
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