Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss is imploring her “Lakers Family” to get the COVID-19 vaccine whenever they are eligible to do so.

Buss shared an Instagram of her getting a shot on Thursday, adding “The sooner we do it the sooner we can reunite.”

 

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Players and personnel from around the NBA are beginning to get vaccines, with the New Orleans Pelicans the first team to do so. It was reported in late March that the Lakers were going to start getting their vaccines.

The NBA has been pushing hard for players to get vaccines, with a memo last month suggesting protocols would be relaxed for teams that reach a certain threshold in terms of vaccinations.

Some of the changes include fewer mandatory tests and the ability to visit restaurants and be more involved in various markets:

“Right now we operate under this so-called work quarantine protocol, where players are largely only going between their homes and the arenas,” Commissioner Adam Silver said last month, per NBA.com. “Once they get vaccinated, they’ll be able to do more in their communities. That’s something we’ve already begun talking to the players association about. So, there will be some real advantages and benefits to getting vaccinated for the players.”

Obviously, increased vaccination nationwide would also have an impact on the number of fans allowed in the stands as the NBA enters the home stretch of the regular season and prepares for the playoffs.

Buss got her shot with the hopes everyday life can look more normal in the near future. She is asking Lakers fans to do the same so the organization can host more fans at Staples Center in the near future. This is especially important with the playoffs right around the corner.