NBA with 40 Unvaccinated Players

[Pengwin7]

Just gonna post here, some strong words...
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...son-approaches
(Wonder if Lebron ever got the vaccine???...)
NHL did pretty well with their 98%-99%...
What does the NHL have... 3 or 4 (Bertuzzi, Rinaldo, L'esperance, Archibald...)
FORTY (40) unvaccinated NBA players is a LOT.

[Eskimo Brother]

It's a lot especially considering there are less NBA teams and smaller rosters.

[stevegamer]

Understand that the vast majority of the NBA is Americans, and the (less vast but still) vast majority of the NHL is not.

America is fiercely proud of personal freedoms, even where they don't exist, and definitely seems to be getting dumber over the last decade or two. Many more unvaccinated doesn't surprise me.

[Feenom]

Wiggins, a Canadian isn't, making some waves in GS.

[2014olympicgold]

I'd say the big thing is peers and money.

NHL players, as much as they make, need to play to get that paycheque, and their pay isn't generational changing money for 1yrs of pay. These guys have house payments, kids, so on and so on.

The NBA guys, make like 10mill off the bat, shoe deals, commercials. They make a lot more money. An example is Wiggins (I know it's a big name). In 7yrs, Wiggins has made $105mill. In like 16yrs, Duncan Keith has made $71mill.

NBA guys can take a yr off, not play half the season and it's not an issue.

The next is peer. I know a lot of the players who aren't vaccinated are all of a sudden speaking about how they aren't getting it based on their religion and Jonathan Isaac said "you can't always put your trust completely in people". A lot of these guys in the NBA have been lied to by leaders their whole life, and they've trusted people close to them more than strangers. If their peers are telling them "facts" about the vaccine, they'll believe them over the system that oppressed them for yrs/generations.

And now your NBAPA head is Kyrie Irving. Who is...I'll say, a conspiracy theorist who isn't intelligent who thinks he's intelligent. If he's not getting it, and missing media day over it, he's not a leader that is pushing players to get it. Irving was liking posts on instagram about how "secret societies are implanting vaccines in a plot to connect Black people to a master computer for a plan of Satan". So apparently these conspiracy theories and misinformation has been spread from locker room to locker room over the course of the last 8 months.

Enes Kanter, who is a devout Muslim, did say he has issues with people using "religious exceptions" for not getting the vaccine. Which I took it as he's calling people out for just not wanting the vaccine but trying to use the religious exception as a loophole. I think Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said the same thing.

Skepticism of vaccines in the Black community isn't new. They were used as guinea pigs unknowingly for vaccines and other things for yrs. Plus they don't trust anything the gov't wants a lot of the time. I think as of December last yr, about 50% of the black population (in a poll done) said they were against the vaccine. That number has likely changed, but that's the final 10% likely in the NBA.

Trust, Peers, Money. Don't trust leaders pushing something. Trust their peers who are on their side. No financial restrictions in their life if they miss a yr.

I think I rambled a lot though lol.

[Wonko]

Wow. 40. The number of dumba**es is astounding.

[Feenom]

All the core religions have also stated using them as an excuse is not true. They all agree on being vaccinated. So players and the NBAPA are just grasping for straws at this point.

[Pengwin7]

A lot of athletes made it to the pros... and in their world, the world they came from (their community) they are the TOP of their CLASS.
So... when the rest of the world is doing something... and they don't... it's like they need to hold to that decision - otherwise they are a follower and not a leader.

Like... Lebron.
What's up with Lebron?

I think he waffled on getting the vaccine...
And this guy has ALWAYS wanted (more than anything) to be known as a LEADER.

But if he's not getting the vaccine early, then he's not a leader.
So now... what he is... he either holds firm on "Personal Decision" or he gives in, gets vaccinated, and is clearly not a leader.

He's in a tough spot.
I'm really interested in what happens there.
Personally - I think he'll give in, get vaccinated, and when asked about his "When" he'll play hush and just state that he had to "think it over" and that it was always a "personal decision".
IDK... I think he missed his mark as a leader to show people that worship him that getting vaccinated was smart & good for our world.

(Glad Jabbar is calling some of these guys out. We need leaders in this time of the world... not wafflers.)



Pretty sad that our Canadian rep, Wiggins, is an anti-vaxxer.
Can't say I know much about him though.

[2014olympicgold]

All the core religions have also stated using them as an excuse is not true. They all agree on being vaccinated. So players and the NBAPA are just grasping for straws at this point.

The city of SanFran denied Wiggins request for exception based on his religion case. Which I'm sure he thought he could just say he can't because of religion and wasn't expecting follow-up questions lol.

Now, there are a few odd things with the religion aspect of this:
Catholic - J&J uses stem cells from fetuses. The Catholic church initially said you shouldn't get it, but then said if it's the only one available to you, get it.

Judaism/Muslim - I know at first there was questions based off of if the vaccines were Halal (pork is used in gelatin which some vaccines use), but Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca have said there is no pork products in it. There is some grey area here*

Mormons - I believe that the intense Mormons don't believe in modern medicine and it's a "let God help them" stance. However, religious leaders are now stressing to get the vaccine, but many are still attending church without masks/vaccination. It's a real divide in the Mormon community right now and thus in Utah.

Dutch Reformed Congregations - Depends on your stance, some say it's a gift from god (the vaccine) others say it interferes with divine providence.

Faith, Tabernacle, Church of the First Born, Faith Assembly, End Time Ministrie all are against vaccines

Church of Christ, Scientist - They believe focus prayer will help. No strict rules against vaccines, but you typically have to request it?

* A lot of people have said that illegal immigrants are not getting the vaccine in fear of being caught and deported. There's notion that this is why some people in those communities are spreading falsehoods about the vaccine as a way to spread the "if others don't get it, then I'm not weird for not getting it" stance on this.

[2014olympicgold]

A lot of athletes made it to the pros... and in their world, the world they came from (their community) they are the TOP of their CLASS.
So... when the rest of the world is doing something... and they don't... it's like they need to hold to that decision - otherwise they are a follower and not a leader.

Like... Lebron.
What's up with Lebron?

I think he waffled on getting the vaccine...
And this guy has ALWAYS wanted (more than anything) to be known as a LEADER.

But if he's not getting the vaccine early, then he's not a leader.
So now... what he is... he either holds firm on "Personal Decision" or he gives in, gets vaccinated, and is clearly not a leader.

He's in a tough spot.
I'm really interested in what happens there.
Personally - I think he'll give in, get vaccinated, and when asked about his "When" he'll play hush and just state that he had to "think it over" and that it was always a "personal decision".
IDK... I think he missed his mark as a leader to show people that worship him that getting vaccinated was smart & good for our world.

(Glad Jabbar is calling some of these guys out. We need leaders in this time of the world... not wafflers.)



Pretty sad that our Canadian rep, Wiggins, is an anti-vaxxer.
Can't say I know much about him though.

NBA has been highly thinking about making a commercial with stars about getting the vaccine. Lebron and Giannis would be in the commercial. However, if they don't accept, the NBA won't push them.

Also, LAL GM said the team will be 100% vaccinated when the season starts. So LeBron was either unvaccinated during the offseason and just got it and that's why he's danced the questions. Or he just is not OK with going up against some of his fellow NBAers. Irving being on the board for the NBAPA (He's like a vice-exec, and the face of the players union) is likely a huge issue. Microchips in the vaccines conspiracy has spread yet again in the locker rooms apparently.

[Invictus]

Microchips in the vaccines conspiracy has spread yet again in the locker rooms apparently.

So you know this for sure? Just sounds like you are putting another human(s) down.
I would guess they have their reasons that are a whole lot more better than "microchips in vaccines".

And if "microchips in vaccines" is the reason... idk lol...

[2014olympicgold]

So you know this for sure? Just sounds like you are putting another human(s) down.
I would guess they have their reasons that are a whole lot more better than "microchips in vaccines".

And if "microchips in vaccines" is the reason... idk lol...

It's actually a report of conspiracy theories running through locker rooms in the NBA. I didn't add that just to make fun of someone.

I don't know how many of the 40 NBAers believe that there's microchips. But the report is conspiracy theories including microchips are spreading through locker rooms. I think I outlined the reasons I think the NBA players are reluctant to get the vaccine. But Irving and his social media definitely draw lines to him believing in some nefarious reasons that the gov't wants you to get the vaccine and not for battling the virus.

[Invictus]

Silly NBA players.

[2014olympicgold]

Silly NBA players.

Come closer to pre-season games, we'll see that 90% rise to prolly 93-95%. I think I saw roughly 40 NBA players aren't vaccinated, so that would bring it up to 20-28-ish NBAers unvaccinated. And how many of those will realize mid-season that losing that $100,000 paycheque for not being allowed to play in a game will have their financial advisor call up and say, "you need to sell 2 cars or get vaccinated". Should be interesting.

But there's a lot of stars right now that seem against ever getting it. Beal, Wiggins, Irving, Bazemore, Isaac, but then some players just not saying they are or not in LeBron, Kuzma, Booker (who caught COVID, and won't say if he's vaccinated and said "you can still get COVID if vaccinated...Educate yourself")


I dunno, seems like the NBA who was the front runner on a lot of COVID stuff has hit their wall. The WNBA was at 99% vaccinating rate, the NBA Refs union is 100% vaccinated. Seems pretty weird to me these stars are so against it especially when one of your players mother died from COVID (Karl Anthony Towns), and he actually caught COVID pretty badly if I remember correctly.

I think the issue is now the "educate yourself" stance. If you are hesitant to get a vaccine, you're already open to hearing the negatives more (naturally). If you do the research on why you should take it, you're reading medical journals which the mass majority of people can't fully understand. Then you are pretty much only understanding "trust us" stance. Then you read the negatives and it's 1. more engaging and "fun" to read, and 2. you'll actually understand it because it's written for you. So of course you're going to lean more into the negative because you understand "you're own research" you did.

I wonder how much of this is these 1yr college students think they're smarter than they are and try to do their own research and only get the negatives, plus surrounded by potential yes-men agreeing with their side.

[2014olympicgold]

Also, confirmed at Lakers media day from LeBron...he is vaccinated, was skeptical of the vaccine, but did his research, and decided to get vaccinated, and have his family get vaccinated.