Blazers news: Jusuf Nurkic's PSA after receiving COVID-19 vaccine

Jusuf Nurkic was among the Blazers players to be vaccinated, and he has a simple message for fans and peers: get vaccinated when eligible.

The Portland Trail Blazers announced Monday that 12 players received their first doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine through the Confederate Tribes of Grand Ronde. Jusuf Nurkic was among those to be vaccinated, and he has a simple message for fans and peers: get vaccinated when eligible.

I got my vaccine 💉 today.

I can't live in fear of infecting someone else and the people I love. The best protection is vaccine and the fastest way to get back to normal. #HaveYourOpinion #MakeYourMove pic.twitter.com/qpbZFUT6cR

— Jusuf Nurkić (@bosnianbeast27) March 22, 2021

Nurkic is among those players personally impacted by the virus. He lost his grandmother to COVID-19 back in August.

The 26-year-old Blazers star is hardly alone in that regard. Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns has lost multiple family members to the virus and also contracted it himself earlier this year.

Jusuf Nurkic's PSA feels particularly applicable for other players around the NBA.

The league has been attempting to encourage players to get vaccinated. The NBA and NBPA even sent out a memo regarding a deal to offer better and “expanded benefits” to players and staff that are fully vaccinated, per ESPN:

Fully vaccinated individuals will no longer have to quarantine following exposure to COVID-19; can have friends, family and others visit at home and on the road without having them test or register with the team; and can dine outdoors at restaurants, among other eased restrictions.

Fully vaccinated teams will no longer have to wear masks at the practice facility; have more flexibility to leave the team hotel on the road; and can dine indoors or outdoors at restaurants, among other eased restrictions.

Still, there had previously been some skepticism regarding vaccination, as NBA Dr. Leroy Sims spoke on in January.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James stated vaccination would be a “private” decision between himself and the rest of his family. However, more teams are starting to receive vaccinations, with Nurkic and the Trail Blazers joining the Atlanta Hawks and New Orleans Pelicans as the third franchise in the NBA to do so.