Unvaccinated players who choose not to comply with the COVID-19 vaccination mandates of their respective states will not be paid for the games they miss, the NBA executive president of communications, Mike Bass announced on Wednesday, according to US media reports.
“Any player who elects not to comply with local vaccination mandates will not be paid for games that he misses,” Bass said in a statement on Wednesday morning.
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The league themselves have not mandated vaccination for the players, although NBA stars and executives have pushed for every player to get vaccinated for months. Unvaccinated players are under stricter protocols than those who have had the COVID-19 shot.
However, the current ruling will primarily affect unvaccinated players from the Brooklyn Nets and the Golden State Warriors, as in both New York and San Francisco COVID-19 vaccination is mandatory, barring any religious exemptions.
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If players do not get vaccinated, they will be unable to participate in home games, and Wednesday’s statement confirmed that missing games will result in millions of dollars lost.
The cities’ vaccination policies do not apply to players from visiting teams who compete at their arenas.
Golden State Warriors guard Andrew Wiggins is among the league’s holdouts, who have denied getting vaccinated.
“I’m just going to keep fighting for what I believe and for what I believe is right,” he said when asked about his stance on the issue on Monday, CNN reported. “What’s right to one person, isn’t right to the other and vice versa.”
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Meanwhile, last week, the New York Knicks announced the team was fully vaccinated while the Nets are yet to announce their team’s vaccination status.
According to an ESPN report, 90% of the players who ply their trade in the National Basketball League are vaccinated against COVID-19.
The NBA season is set to kick off on October 19.
