While the NBA has no real connection to politics, it’s often that the two worlds collide.
They collided during the BLM protests, they collided during the 2020 elections, and they’re colliding again now with the COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
While most of the NBA has been strictly pro-vaccination, guys like Bradley Beal and Kyrie Irving have taken a stand against it, choosing not to get the shot for various reasons.
Back in September, Ted Cruz even demonstrated public support for Bradley Beal shouting him out in a post on Twitter.
I stand with Kyrie Irving.
I stand with Andrew Wiggins.
I stand with Bradley Beal.
I stand with Jonathan Isaac.#NBA#YourBodyYourChoice https://t.co/kn74nwjVRV
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 29, 2021
It was weeks ago now, but the post did come up during an interview with Beal, where he took the opportunity to separate himself (rather bluntly) from the politician and his views.
He is open to receiving the coronavirus vaccine at some point and said it’s a conversation he and his partner Kamiah have daily, particularly now that their two young sons are attending preschool.
Beal said he is not broadly anti-vaccine — nor did he appreciate the Twitter shout out Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) gave him and the handful of other unvaccinated NBA stars in late September.
“Don’t attach me to that. Because that’s not what I was trying to do. I’m not sitting here advocating for people not to get it. … I’ve never met you, I don’t talk to you and I don’t support you or anything you do. That’s a little weird. That’s why I don’t like social media. Ted, you know damn well I ain’t rockin’ with you. You’re not going to get no cool points if that’s what you’re in it for.”
To flame a congressman like that in public really says it all about Beal’s thoughts on the situation.
He’s not trying to make a broader statement, nor is he encouraging anyone else to stay unvaccinated. He’s just making a personal decision he feels is best for him and his family that could change at any time.
Regardless, the whole debate has really taken on a life of its own and it will likely continue to be a topic of discussion for the foreseeable future.
