NBA players will not be paid for games missed due to local vaccine mandates

Golden State Warriors guard Andrew Wiggins (22) dribbles the ball up the court against the Miami Heat during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Monday, Feb. 10, 2020. (Jeff Chiu/AP)

Unvaccinated NBA players who are unable to play in certain municipalities due to local COVID-19 vaccine mandates will not be paid for the games they miss, the NBA said Wednesday.

"Any player who elects not to comply with local vaccination mandates will not be paid for games that he misses," league spokesman Mike Bass said, according to a statement obtained by Shams Charania of The Athletic.

In both New York and San Francisco, city policies bar unvaccinated individuals from entering arenas, which would render a player unable to play games at venues like Madison Square Garden or the Chase Center if they are not inoculated against the virus.

Ninety per cent of the league is vaccinated, according to CJ McCollum, the new players union president. This includes six teams who have reached a 100 per cent vaccination rate among their players, and five others who say they are expected to reach that goal by opening night.

But among the unvaccinated are several high-profile players who have shone a bright light on the remaining 10 per cent by espousing a range of baseless anti-vaccine sentiments

In Brooklyn, after the Nets' official media day concluded, Kyrie Irving conducted an Instagram Live version of media day in which he fielded questions from reporters. Irving was unable to attend the team's media day in person at Barclays Center because of the same municipal policies that will prevent him from playing home games.



Editor’s note: With overwhelming consistency, research has shown vaccinations against COVID-19 are safe and effective. Residents of Canada who are looking to learn more about vaccines, or the country’s pandemic response, can find up-to-date information on Canada’s public health website.



When asked about his vaccination status, Irving said he'd "like to keep that stuff private" and insisted "the last thing" he wanted to create was "more hoopla and more distractions."

In an extensively reportedly story by Matt Sullivan published in Rolling Stone magazine over the weekend, Irving’s aunt, Tyki Irving, was quoted as saying that Irving was unvaccinated for reasons “not religious-based, it’s moral-based.” The story did not specify when the interview took place, however.

Irving, who is a vice president on the NBA Players' Association's executive committee, is believed to be one of the leading player voices against vaccine mandates in the NBA, despite the overwhelming evidence that vaccines reduce both the spread of the virus and the likelihood an individual will suffer severely adverse effects if they do contract COVID-19.

He isn't the only notable name who's touted unfounded anti-vaccine sentiments. Last week, Andrew Wiggins of the Golden State Warriors had his request for vaccine exemption denied. Wiggins, who requested a religious exemption, will not be allowed to suit up for home games with Golden State until he is vaccinated.

"I'm confident in my beliefs and what I think is right, what I think is wrong," Wiggins said on Monday, doubling down on his stance.

The NBA players' union has not yet agreed to a vaccine mandate and, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, has denied the league's proposals for one to be implemented. The referees' union, however, has agreed to one. In the WNBA, 99 per cent of players were fully vaccinated by June without a mandate going into effect.

Despite the hesitancy from the likes of Wiggins and Irving, other high-profile players, like LeBron James and Damian Lillard, have been open about their willingness to get vaccinated.

James confirmed he was vaccinated during the Los Angeles Lakers' media day on Tuesday, saying that, when the vaccines were first released, he was "very skeptical" but after doing his own research decided it was "the right thing to do" for himself and the health of his family.

"I'm not mad at people who say they need to do their research," Lillard, the star point guard of the Portland Trail Blazers, said on Monday. "But I have a lot of people in my family that I spend time around. I'm just not going to put their lives in danger. As a kid, I had to get shots my whole life."

When submitting content, please abide by our  submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.
We use cookies to improve your experience. Learn More or change your cookie preferences. By continuing to use this site, you agree to the use of cookies.
close