Adam Silver already made it clear that the NBA won't ‘jump the line' when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines. Following his comments, the NBA is also warning teams not to pursue or administer COVID-19 vaccines early to players and staff members.
Of course, with the NBA attempting to carry out the 2020-2021 season, the league is going to promote players and staff members to get the vaccine for COVID-19 eventually. However, the league isn't going to force everyone to receive it, and they don't want teams getting the vaccine without the league's approval.
Earlier this week, Silver informed everyone that the NBA isn't going to use its power to make themselves a priority to receive shipments of the vaccine.
“It goes without saying that in no form or way will we jump the line,” Silver said on a conference call with reporters on Monday. “We will wait our turn to get the vaccine. When you think about the logistical feat that now the federal and state governments are undertaking, where if every citizen ultimately requires two doses and with a population of over 300 million, it's beyond comprehension when you start to begin to think about the logistical challenges of transporting and distributing this vaccine.”
He also shared that due to there being older employees in the league, they will be the first ones to have a chance to receive the vaccine.
It is vastly important for the NBA to get vaccines to all of their employees in a timely manner to help combat risks of COVID-19 during the season. With that being said, Silver doesn't want organizations to get the vaccine behind closed doors without the league knowing about it. At the end of the day, it's player health and safety that becomes the priority here.