According to NBC Sports Chicago, a team source has confirmed that the Chicago Bulls have reached full vaccination status.
When executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas was asked about the situation on Media Day, he shared the team would not be 100 percent vaccinated by the start of the 2021-22 campaign. Zach LaVine also chose not to comment on the matter when asked at that time.
“I don’t know the exact percentage,” Karnisovas said on September 27th. “But it’s going to be not 100 percent, but we are getting pretty close.”
Now, only three weeks into the season, the team has given themselves a competitive advantage. Not only is each player best protected from the severity of COVID-19, but no person will have to follow the league’s strict set of protocols.
Of course, we must continue to keep in mind that breakthrough cases can happen. Philidelphia 76ers’ Tobias Harris is the most recent example of a fully-vaccinated player who still tested positive. The San Antonio Spurs also announced before the season that their team was fully vaccinated, but center Jakob Poeltl also recently entered NBA Protocols due to a positive test. But, again, each player’s health is now best protected, and that is what matters most!