As a handful of cities have begun to implement more stringent policies regarding an individual’s vaccination status, sports leagues and teams have started to adapt. On Wednesday, a report indicated that a handful of players on a few NBA franchises will be in for a notable change during the 2021-22 season.
According to Stadium and The Athletic’s Shams Charania, unvaccinated players whose home cities have local vaccination requirements will not be allowed to enter home arenas or facilities for games or team activities when the season starts to ramp up. Some players will be excused from the policy if they have an approved medical or religious exemption.
As of right now, New York City and San Fransisco have implemented measures that would impact unvaccinated players. Charania expanded on what those policies would mean for individuals on the Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors headed into a new season.
“This follows local governmental policies, meaning unvaccinated players on the Nets, Knicks and Warriors are not allowed to play in home games,” Charania wrote on Wednesday. “Visiting players are exempt from the vaccination requirements in NYC and SF.”
So, according to Charania, unvaccinated players on the Nets, Knicks and Warriors won’t be able to play in their own homes games. Unvaccinated players that visit Brooklyn, New York or San Fransisco will be exempt from those same requirements.
This follows local governmental policies, meaning unvaccinated players on the Nets, Knicks and Warriors are not allowed to play in home games. Visiting players are exempt from the vaccination requirements in NYC and SF. https://t.co/fPePW722Og
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 1, 2021
The league’s new policy is a serious escalation for the NBA, which did not require players to get vaccinated last season. These new guidelines still give individuals the option to choose whether or not they want to receive the vaccine, but if members of the Nets, Knicks and Warriors do not, they’ll face the serious consequence of not being allowed to enter their home arenas.
Time will tell if other cities start to adopt the vaccination policies in place in New York and San Fransisco. If that’s the case, more NBA players will need to get shots in order to play in front of their home fans.
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