The NBA hasn't pushed out a mandate requiring players to be vaccinated against COVID-19 ahead of the 2021-22 season, but for teams in certain markets, the league's stance won't matter as much as local guidelines.
Unvaccinated players for the Knicks, Nets and Warriors will not be allowed to participate in home games because of government policies in New York City and San Francisco, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. The local requirements will prevent players in those markets from entering their home arenas or facilities for games or any team activities unless they have an approved medical or religious exemption. Visiting players will be exempt from the requirements, per Charania.
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The Knicks, Nets and Warriors may have to take these policies into account while building their rosters throughout the season. However, it's worth noting that National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts told Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill in July that 90 percent of the league's players had been vaccinated. This may ultimately be a non-issue for those three teams.
"Your health is your business. And there's some things that obviously, in sports, you have to disclose, but something like, you know, vaccination or anything else is pretty much your business," Roberts said. "And so I was aware of people, I had individual conversations with players who were rabidly opposed to a vaccination, who I know got vaccinated, ultimately.
"And it ended up being exactly what was described as it was a personal decision, where the guys wanted to work through their concerns. I mean, we were at 90 percent, which I, frankly, think is much, much more than I would have predicted a couple of months ago. We had meetings with all the teams. And they were asking those who were inclined to be vaccinated and those who weren't asking very, very tough questions of our docs."
Charania's report comes only days after the NBA sent out a memo informing teams that any staff members working within 15 feet of players must be fully vaccinated. The league also recently announced that all referees must be fully vaccinated unless they have a religious or medical exemption.
