The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association reached an agreement on the deduction of pay for unvaccinated players who miss games due to local COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Currently, the cities of New York and San Francisco have imposed such mandates, restricting access to indoor sporting events to those over the age of 12 who are vaccinated. Under 12s are not required to be vaccinated, however, they are still required to wear a mask.
While New York City requires proof of at least one vaccine shot in order to gain entry, San Francisco requires all attendees of indoor sporting events to be fully vaccinated. The New York City policy is set to impact Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving, who is yet to be vaccinated.
As a result of his vaccination status, Irving was prohibited from attending his team’s media day at the Barclays Center last week. Instead, he participated in the event via Zoom.
“I know that I’ll be there every day no matter what and just be present for my teammates as one of the leaders on the team and be there for my growing tribe off the court,” Irving said.
As it stands, Irving is set to lose $380,000 per game that he misses. Should he refuse to be vaccinated at any point this season, this sum could add up to $15 million.
