NEWSLETTER
Much like we’ve seen in the NHL, the NBA will be hitting players in the wallet if they choose not to comply with local vaccine mandates.
New ESPN story: Players who miss games due to New York City and San Francisco’s vaccine mandates will not be paid for those missed games. https://t.co/guuVvFQ68w
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) September 29, 2021
According to the report, players who play in locales that have a vaccine mandate and miss games due to not being vaccinated will not be paid for the games they miss.
“Any player who elects not to comply with local vaccination mandates will not be paid for games that he misses,” Mike Bass, the NBA’s executive vice president of communications, said in a statement Wednesday morning. Both San Francisco and New York have such mandates in place, which would affect players who play for the Warriors, Knicks, and Nets. Visiting players are exempt from the local mandates.
Bontemps mentioned Kyrie Irving and Andrew Wiggins as two players potentially affected:
Nets star Kyrie Irving was not at the team’s media day at the Barclays Center on Monday as a result of the order in New York, which went into effect earlier this month. During the Warriors’ media day, Andrew Wiggins said his vaccination status was “private” ahead of that order going into effect next month before the start of the regular season.
The executive orders governing the vaccine only apply to the players who play in those markets; out-of-market players are exempted from them.
The New York Knicks have previously said their entire organization, including all players, is fully vaccinated and in compliance with the New York City law.
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association are currently working towards finalizing new health and safety protocols for the 2021-22 NBA season.
