The NBA — and every other major professional sports league — is currently dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks within its organization, forcing the league to postpone a handful of games, and causing many teams to play short-handed.
And while the NBA is reportedly 97% vaccinated, it’s pushing the booster shots for everyone that has already received their initial COVID-19 vaccine.
As reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic, all NBA teams will be required to hold a “booster shot event” by the end of the year so that players, staff, and their families have an opportunity to get the jab.
“In light of rising COVID-19 cases, all NBA teams were informed that they are required to host a booster shot event by Dec. 31 in which booster doses are made available for eligible players, staff and their families,” Charania reported.
In light of rising COVID-19 cases, all NBA teams were informed that they are required to host a booster shot event by Dec. 31 in which booster doses are made available for eligible players, staff and their families.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 24, 2021
NBA players are not required to be vaccinated, but the league has been vocal about their stance on the vaccines.
In October, NBA commissioner Adam Silver touted the vaccination as a “miracle,” urging unvaccinated Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets to get vaccinated in order to be an “engaged member of society.”
“Science is firmly on the side of getting vaccinated. And this is in essence, a miracle vaccine … It’s already saved tens of millions of lives. I think, at some point, for Kyrie to be an engaged member of society — putting aside this league — he needs to get vaccinated,” Silver said. “That’s the law in New York: if you want to play in an arena, if you want to visit an arena, if you want to participate in an activity in an arena, you need to be vaccinated, and that’s where he finds himself.”
Irving — who remains unvaccinated — will be returning to the team shortly as a “part-time player” for Brooklyn’s road games outside of the state of New York. In order to play in Brooklyn home games or at Madison Square Garden, where the New York Knicks play, Irving will need to be vaccinated due to local New York City regulations.
Irving has yet to play in a game this season, as the Nets put him on the shelf before the start of the NBA regular season “until he is eligible to be a full participant.”
The organization’s approach to Irving changed as injuries and COVID-19 took a toll, allowing Irving to return to the team and eligible to play in road games outside of the state of New York and the city of Toronto. All players must be vaccinated in order to travel to Canada beginning January 15.
“At the end of the day, we’re sitting here faced with a roster that has been decimated over the course of the last several days,” Nets GM Sean Marks said. “And I’m forced to make decisions, and I don’t make those decisions by myself — we collaborate, like I mentioned before — but in essence, this is the best decision for this team at this juncture right now, with what we’re dealing with.”
As vaccinated players continue to test positive for COVID-19, the NBA is reportedly considering shortening the required quarantine period from 10 days to six.
Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers, and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to [email protected].
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