Houston, we’ve got a problem. NBA anti-vaxxers are dividing the sport in a way that could sabotage the entire 2021-2022 season.
Sports
The sports world and, particularly, the professional basketball world is going topsy-turvy over 50 to 60 (or, about 10%) of the league’s players who are NBA anti-vaxxers. Not only are these professionals flat-out refusing to get the COVID vaccine, but some are even promoting wild conspiracy theories including one that claims “secret societies” are implanting vaccines in a plot to connect Black people to a master computer for “a plan of Satan.”
For more than a year, the National Basketball Association has placed all its trust in science to lead the league through the COVID nightmare — from last year’s playoff bubble at Disney World to allowing vaccinated fans back in basketball arenas earlier this year. However, a group of disgruntled players has not only grown tired of non-stop nasal swabbing and quarantining but have informed the league that they will not put up with mandatory vaccines. In fact, in the words of one player, vaccines are a “Non-starter. Non-starter.”
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“Unvaccinated players don’t seem to care that they could trigger a Covid outbreak. They also seem blissfully unaware that a pro sports team is a public entity, dependent on consumers buying a product that immediately loses value if players miss games because of Covid. Hence, a player’s “personal” decision can quickly become a lot more public.” – NBC News
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Many NBA players who have chosen to skip the vaccine for what they say is their own “personal freedom” have gone silent and simply refused to confirm their vax status or even discuss it publicly. However, 2 very prominent NBA anti-vaxxers have jumped out front and center on the issue and have made it their cross to bear. They are Andrew Wiggins of the Golden State Warriors and Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets.
Interestingly, San Francisco (where the Warriors play) and New York City (where the Nets play) have passed laws making it mandatory for professional athletes to prove they’ve received at least 1 dose of the COVID vaccine in order to practice inside their team facilities and play in their home arenas. Unfortunately, this means that both Wiggins and Irving will be forced to miss all home games this upcoming season and will not even be allowed as a spectator in the building. It also meant that Irving was not allowed to attend his team’s media day.
Andrew Wiggins attempted to skirt the law by applying for a religious exemption against the vaccine. The NBA quickly denied his request. As for Kyrie Irving, his story is much more complicated.
Not only is Irving a prominent proponent of the theory that the earth is flat, but he is now one of the most outspoken NBA anti-vaxxers.
Because Irving is vice-president of the NBA player’s union, one might think he would be more responsible — or, at least more discreet — with his anti-vax mentality. Regrettably, Irving has been anything but that.
He recently began following and liking Instagram posts from a conspiracy theorist who introduced the “secret societies” and “plan of Satan” claim. He has also actively spread the Moderna microchip misinformation campaign across multiple NBA locker rooms via group chat, according to several dozen-plus current players, Hall-of-Famers, league executives, and arena workers.
“There are so many other players outside of him who are opting out, I would like to think they would make a way,” said Kyrie’s aunt, Tyki Irving, who is part of his regular circle of advisors, runs the seven-time All-Star’s family foundation, and spoke to the media on his behalf. She also took issue with the “limitations” that she believes the league is “oppressing upon you,” adding that there should be “some sort of formula where the NBA and the players can come to some sort of agreement.”
As for Kyrie himself, he doesn’t care if he potentially disrupts his team’s chances for a championship run because, according to him, he is “a human being first”
If Irving stays stubborn and remains unvaccinated, he will miss 44 of Brooklyn’s 82 regular-season games (43 in New York, one in San Francisco), even if he stays Covid-free.
Interestingly, not everyone is impressed with Irving’s and Wiggins’ NBA anti-vaxxers stance.
“The NBA should insist that all players and staff are vaccinated or remove them from the team,” NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said this week. “There is no room for players who are willing to risk the health and lives of their teammates, the staff, and the fans simply because they are unable to grasp the seriousness of the situation or do the necessary research. What I find especially disingenuous about the vaccine deniers is their arrogance at disbelieving immunology and other medical experts. Yet, if their child was sick or they themselves needed emergency medical treatment, how quickly would they do exactly what those same experts told them to do?”
In response to the NBA anti-vaxxers, the league has announced that it will require unvaccinated players to undergo daily testing prior to entering a team facility, participating in team-organized activities, or interacting with other players and Tier 1 personnel. They will also have to undergo lab-based game-day testing, just as they did last season. Additionally, players will be required to quarantine for 7 days if they come in close contact with anyone who has tested positive for COVID — NO MATTER WHAT!
As for players in New York and San Francisco, the rules will go even further. They will not be allowed to practice or play in any home games until they get at least 1 dose of the vaccine.
Because Kyrie Irving is a member of Brooklyn’s “Big 3” of Kevin Durant and James Harden, the Nets have acquiesced to their star player and relocated their upcoming season training camp to San Diego.
The cross-country move was a big middle finger to the New York law and an obvious pampering of the whims of Kyrie Irving — just so he could get his way and still play basketball.
The Hill: The debate over COVID-19 vaccine mandates has spilled into the NBA, exposing divisions within the league over how to keep players safe from the fast-spreading virus. While around 90 percent of NBA players are fully vaccinated — significantly higher than the U.S. vaccination rate — some of the league’s brightest stars are refusing to get the shot. NBA stars have unleashed public criticisms of the vaccine, dealing a blow to the league’s image and revealing that even world-famous athletes can fall prey to increasingly common COVID-19 misinformation. The NBA sought to require all players to get vaccinated for the upcoming season, but that sparked strong pushback from the National Basketball Players Association, which called a vaccine mandate a “non-starter.” “A vaccine mandate for NBA players would need an agreement with the Players Association,” said NBA spokesperson Mike Bass in an email to The Hill on Tuesday. “The NBA… Read more »