Jonathan Isaac, an NBA player for the Orlando Magic, said during an interview with The Blaze this week that he is not allowed to eat with his teammates when they go out to eat at restaurants because he is unvaccinated.
Isaac, who made the remarks during an interview with Allie Beth Stuckey, said that he chose to not get vaccinated because he has already had COVID-19. Isaac said that he supports the COVID-19 vaccines and that he thinks that people should take them after making the decision themselves.
During the interview, while discussing some of the restrictions that the NBA currently has in place, he said that he is “not allowed to go to team functions” or “if the team is eating in a restaurant, I can’t eat in the same room as them.”
“To me, it just doesn’t logically follow for us then to get on the court together,” Isaac added.
WATCH:
"I’m not allowed to go to team functions, or if the team is eating at a restaurant, I can’t eat in the same room as them. To me it just doesn’t logically follow for us then to get on the court together."
–> @JJudahIsaacFull interview w/Jonathan Isaac: https://t.co/D4OVlAFc9j pic.twitter.com/wntWbqUt7J
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) October 7, 2021
TRANSCRIPT:
ALLIE BETH STUCKEY, PODCASTER: And the league will continue its strict regulations this season for unvaccinated players, and then says, you know, if you have to miss any games, because you’re not vaccinated in a certain city that requires it, you won’t get paid for those games. So is that something that I guess you’re just taking into stride and doing everything you can to kind of abide by your own conscience, but also, you know, submit to the regulations that are being put in place?
JONATHAN ISAAC, NBA PLAYER: Yeah, I touched on it a little bit in the press conference where they were like, you know, what happens when the NBA does come out with these regulations? And, you know, I said, the NBA is free to make those regulations. And you know, as a member of the NBA, I’m going to follow them. But my only point would be, to me, it doesn’t logically follow for us then, to jump on the court, or for me to be at a different locker room than my teammates, but then follow into the same tunnel and to go out to the game. It does, it doesn’t really mean sense.
STUCKEY: So, you have to be in a different locker room, a different part of the bus because you’re unvaccinated, but then you get on the court and you do, you know, what play?
ISAAC: Exactly, I don’t know all of the regulations that have been laid out. But I know some of them would be, you know, I’m not allowed to go to like team functions. Or if the team is eating in a restaurant, I can’t eat in the same room as them. To me, it just doesn’t logically follow for us then to get on the court together. And then again, for natural immunity to be ignored, and then again, just this, all of this is coming about talking about a virus was such a high survival rate.
STUCKEY: And you’ve already had it?
ISAAC: Exactly. And even if you take the vaccine, it does not stop it, you know, infection and transmission. I’m not against the vaccine, I think there actually are people who should take it, people who are afraid for either, you know, their health status, their lifestyle, or just, you know what, I want to take this chance, I want to take this step to protect myself further. If I do come in contact with the virus, again, I’ll be protected. And I want to say if you do come in contact with the virus, not an unvaccinated person, and I think that’s what’s been misconstrued that if you come in contact with an unvaccinated person, that’s the issue, but it doesn’t matter unvaccinated or vaccinated, you’re going to come in contact with this virus again. It’s not going anywhere. And then it’s your decision to take that step to say you know what, I want this vaccine to help protect me. I hope to protect the people around me, but it should be everyone’s right.