NBA players will not be required to get a COVID-19 vaccine, sources in the league told ESPN.
The NBA and NBPA continue to negotiate aspects of COVID-related protocols and procedures 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 vaccination request proposal remains a “no beginning” point.
NBA officials and most NBA employees are required to have the vaccination.
The NBA and NBPA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
About 85% of players have been vaccinated, a league spokesperson said recently, and in a preliminary memo obtained by ESPN in early September, the league outlined a set of strict protocols for unvaccinated players.
These protocols include keeping lockers away from your vaccinated colleagues and having to eat, fly, and take buses in different departments. These protocols are not final and are still subject to discussion with the NBPA.
The NBA informed teams in early September that new laws would 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, on their teams, unless there is a medical or medical exemption. Certified religious, according to a memo obtained by ESPN.
In late August, the National Basketball Association notified teams that team-controlled individuals who worked within 15 feet of players or officials during matches must have been fully vaccinated by October 1, according to a memo obtained by ESPN.
Last week, President Joe Biden announced a wide range of vaccine mandates that could affect up to 100 million Americans.