NBA players will not be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19, league sources told ESPN.
The NBA and the NBPA continue to negotiate aspects of the protocols and procedures related to COVID for the upcoming 2021-22 season, but the NBPA has refused to budge on its demand that players not be required to take the vaccine, sources say. , and any proposal requiring vaccination remains a “no start” point.
NBA officials and most NBA personnel are required to get vaccinated.
The NBA and the NBPA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
About 85% of players are vaccinated, a league spokesperson recently said and, in a preliminary memo obtained by ESPN in early September, the league outlined a strict set of protocols for unvaccinated players.
Such protocols include keeping lockers away from vaccinated teammates and having to eat, fly, and ride buses in different sections. These protocols are not final and are still subject to discussion with the NBPA.
The NBA informed teams in early September that new laws will apply in both New York and San Francisco regarding vaccine requirements for members of the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, and Golden State Warriors, including players from the NBA. their teams, unless there is an approved medical or religious exemption, according to a memo obtained by ESPN.
In late August, the NBA informed teams that personnel under the team’s control who worked within 15 feet of players or officials during games were required to be fully vaccinated by October 1, according to a memo obtained by ESPN. .
In the past week, President Joe Biden announced a broad set of vaccine mandates that could affect up to 100 million Americans.
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