Unvaccinated NBA players to face extensive COVID-19 curbs
New York City – NBA players who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 will have to comply with a long list of restrictions to take part in the upcoming season, according to a memo obtained by Reuters.
The National Basketball Association’s tentative protocols released to teams on Tuesday showed vaccinated players will only be tested if they show coronavirus symptoms or are a close contact of a positive case.
Unvaccinated players must, however, undergo daily testing prior to entering a team facility, participating in team activities, or interacting with players and coaches.
The protocols outlined in the memo are pending agreement between the League and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA).
The 2021-2022 season is set to begin on October 19 amid continuing concerns over the highly contagious Delta variant of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) that has hit those who are unvaccinated particularly hard.
A handful of high-profile players, including Kyrie Irving of Brooklyn Nets and Bradley Beal of Washington Wizards, have publicly refused to receive the shots, while some have repeated claims about the vaccine shown to be false by medical professionals. (Reuters)
