Among the rules for unvaccinated players: They will not be
able to eat in the same room with vaccinated teammates or staff, must have
lockers as far away from vaccinated players as possible, and must stay masked
and at least 6 feet away from all other attendees in any team meeting.
Further, unvaccinated players will be “required to remain at
their residence when in their home market,” teams were told in the draft of the
rules, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press. They will also
need to stay on team hotel properties when on the road. In both cases, there
are limited permissible exceptions — such as going to buy groceries, taking
children to school and the like.
And unvaccinated players also will not be permitted to visit
“higher-risk settings,” the NBA said, such as restaurants, bars, clubs,
entertainment venues and large indoor gatherings.
The league is working with the National Basketball Players
Association to finalize the protocols, but some details were agreed upon weeks
ago — including provisions where unvaccinated players will be tested on all
practice, travel, team activity and game days. Fully vaccinated players will
not be subject to testing, with very limited exceptions.
Fully vaccinated players — the category that at least 90% of
the league falls into — will largely be back to business as usual. Unvaccinated
players will be given coronavirus rapid tests on days where teams are
practicing, traveling or having similar team events, plus they will need
lab-based tests on game days.
“A vaccine mandate for NBA players would need an agreement
with the Players Association,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said. “The NBA has made
these proposals but the players’ union has rejected any vaccination
requirement.”
Later, the NBPA responded by celebrating the 90% vaccination
rate and noting how it exceeds the national percentage. “The real story is not
why vaccination isn’t mandated in the NBA. The real story for proponents of
vaccination is how can we emulate the Players in the NBA,” union executive
director Michele Roberts said.
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers says he doesn’t want
to tell people what to do regarding vaccinations. But James — who has more than
50 million Twitter followers and nearly 100 million on Instagram — did reveal
Tuesday that he is vaccinated. And like many other big NBA names such as
Portland’s Damian Lillard, Lakers teammate Anthony Davis and Milwaukee’s
Giannis Antetokounmpo, James said he got the shots to keep his family safe.
“I think everyone has their own choice to do what they feel
is right for themselves and their family and things of that nature,” James
said. “I know that I was very (skeptical) about it all. But after doing my
research and things of that nature, I felt like it was best suited for not only
me but for my family and my friends. And, you know, that’s why I decided to do
it.”
Some top NBA players, including Washington’s Bradley Beal
and Golden State’s Andrew Wiggins, have said they remain unvaccinated. Phoenix
star Devin Booker missed the start of camp because he tested positive,
revealing that over the weekend but not saying if he is vaccinated. Others,
like Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving — an NBPA vice president — have also refused to
divulge their vaccination status, though Irving not attending Nets media day in
person on Monday suggests he remains unvaccinated.
Irving did practice with the Nets on Tuesday in San Diego,
where they’re holding training camp.
The status of Wiggins and Irving is particularly thorny
since local ordinances in San Francisco and New York would require them to be
vaccinated or get a league exception — Wiggins has already tried that and
failed — in order to play in home games, which obviously make up half the
schedule. Irving is due to make about $35 million this season, Wiggins nearly
$32 million.
“Any player who elects not to comply with local vaccination
mandates will not be paid for games that he misses,” Bass said Wednesday.
The difference between vaccinated and unvaccinated players
will also govern the rules surrounding what happens when contact tracing flags
a player as being possibly exposed to a person who is positive for COVID-19,
the NBA told teams.
Those who are fully vaccinated will not be required in most
cases to quarantine, though will need seven days of testing. Unvaccinated
players flagged by contact tracing will need to quarantine for seven days.
The NBA and the players are still working on some final
topics, all with hopes that this season — unlike last year — doesn’t see waves
of game postponements or players missing extended periods of time because of
the virus. Remaining topics include what would trigger needs for fully
vaccinated players to be tested.
Some rules from last season will still apply, at least to
begin this season. All players and staff, regardless of vaccination status,
must wear masks in almost all situations inside team facilities, during travel
and when on the bench during games. The bench rule will not apply to head
coaches, who are not required to mask during games.
Also, it was previously agreed that anyone in proximity to
players — stat-crew staffs, team attendants, even NBA referees — must be
vaccinated.