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We need to talk about the anti-vaxxers in the NBA.
Before anyone tries to complain: the vaccine is actually effective. A quick Google search should land you with many peer-reviewed studies on the effectiveness of these shots. These studies were made by actual professionals who studied viruses their entire lives and do this for a living. They are more credible sources than the YouTube video you watched about COVID made by a guy with less than a hundred subscribers.
(If you do want to read up on the papers about the effectivity of the vaccines, just go here. Or here. Or here. If you want to know how the vaccine limits transmission, read here.)
Knowing that the vaccine is effective at mitigating the effects of COVID-19 and limiting its spread, you'd expect that every NBA player would want to get the shot. After all, it's proven that COVID can affect and destroy your lungs. Surely, these NBA players, who depend on their bodies being 100%, would understand the need to protect themselves from a dangerous disease.
And yet, somehow, some of these NBA guys inexplicably refuse the vaccine. Their reasoning for refusing vary. Some believe that they don't need it since it apparently “doesn't really protect you”. Some cite religious concerns about vaccination. And the completely off-the-rails guys think that the vaccine is a ploy to control the masses. Yeah, you heard that right.
Whatever the reason is, it's unacceptable for these guys to deny the COVID-19 vaccine. If they were no-name guys on some lottery team, maybe it's fine. But when it's Kyrie Irving or Bradley Beal publicly saying that they aren't vaccinated and don't plan on getting vaccinated, it becomes a problem.
Why? Because these guys have clout. They are established NBA stars with a huge following that listen to what they say. Heck, some of the youth might even believe every word these guys say. Even the more obscure anti-vaxx names like Jonathan Isaac and Andrew Wiggins are well-known to fans of their teams. After listening to some of these guys spout their nonsense about how the vaccine is a hoax, some impressionable fans will take their favorite NBA player's word for it and not get vaccinated themselves.
That's already a huge problem for the NBA. Despite a reported 95% vaccination rate around the league, the loud 5% will always take the headlines. However, another problem that seems to go under the radar are players who are trying to tiptoe the line between going against the vaccine and supporting the vaccine.
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Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors told reporters that he wouldn't be pushing Wiggins to get the vaccine. His rant got the attention of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who wholeheartedly agreed with that statement. Stephen Curry gave a rather vague answer when asked about Wiggins' choice to get vaccinated. Damian Lillard said that he wasn't mad at players who want to do their “own research” on the vaccine.
These are all vaccinated players, by the way. All of the NBA players I mentioned above got the shot and confirmed it to the media. But that's not the point here.
Personally, I think we have every right to be mad at these NBA players who are claiming to still be doing their own research. We are over a year into a global pandemic that has affected over 230 million people worldwide and killed nearly 5 million. The vaccine itself has been out since around January this year. That's more than enough time for anyone to do their research on the vaccine. The information is out there already, and it's so very easy to find.
All these non-answers, the trying to appease the NBA players against the vaccine, will only serve to fuel the anti-vaxx movement. Green and Curry should be doing their very best right now to educate Wiggins about why the latter should get vaccinated. LeBron needs to go out and say that non-vaccinated players NEED to get vaccinated, just like what Kareem did last week. It's imperative that word goes out that you should get vaccinated, if not for yourself, for those around you.
We've all seen what COVID can do to people. Many people have lost their loved ones to COVID-19, and most of them weren't vaccinated. Karl-Anthony Towns' mother died of COVID-19 complications before the vaccine was publicly available. Even those who survive suffer some long-term effects, such as limited to no taste or weaker lung capacities. NBA players may think they're invincible to COVID, but they're not. No one is.
Right now, the NBA needs to stop trying to appease those who adamantly refuse to get vaccinated. They need to take a stand and show them that being unvaccinated is unacceptable. You're not only risking yourself, but you're risking everyone else around you. Your teammates, your training staff, the fans who watch your games. Your own family. It shouldn't be a hard decision, no?
