Even with the new season literally hours from tip-off, the COVID-19 vaccine continues to be a hot topic among the NBA community.
Thanks to players like Andrew Wiggins, Bradley Beal, and (of course) Kyrie Irving, conversations about vaccine mandates have become extremely common and countless people have spoken their minds about the topic.
One of the latest to speak up is former basketball coach, and ESPN commentator, Jeff Van Gundy, who went on a rant about the anti-vaxx movement:
“It would be as absurd to me as asking a doctor how Kyrie Irving should work on his crossover game and his handle. Like that guy thinking he knows more about that than a basketball guy. It’s just like, sometimes, I just don’t think we’re respecting all that is being invested into this fight. And again, I’m not trying to be super political. I didn’t think that would be controversial. I just think it’s common sense. Sometimes common sense is in short supply.
That one thing sets me off more than anything when it comes to people trying to rationalize not taking a shot. I know there’s people that work at ESPN that would vehemently disagree with me. I read some things that Sage Steele said and I was taken aback. I really was. So it’s not like I think everybody’s agreeing with me. But on that one, I just thought it was somewhat obvious, in that small segment of doing your own research, I just don’t get it.”
This isn’t the first time Van Gundy has made his feelings known about this. He recently said this during coverage of a pre-season game:
“You know what drives me crazy? ‘I’m doing my own research.’ I would like someone to answer this: What does that look like? You doing your own research? Are you doing studies yourself? Are you in lab nightly? I don’t understand what that means.”
Needless to say, Van Gundy isn’t afraid to tell the world where he stands. To him, there really isn’t any excuse to not get the shot, especially since countless experts in the medical field are advocating for it.
No matter your feelings on the whole thing, it’s a fact that this ongoing battle will continue to be a talking point throughout the season.
