Covid-19 has been ravaging the planet for a while now. The last 2 years have gone by with the human race trying their best to deal with the virus. Lockdowns were the first measure that led to the Bubble and was followed by the development of a vaccine. However, not every person believes in the vaccine, and there was a large movement of people against taking it.
This led to a vaccine mandate in various states across the United States and the NBA had to abide by it, with a majority of the players getting vaccinated before the 2021-22 campaign. However, some of them did not, and this led to some controversy. The most notable figure in this aspect was Kyrie Irving, who missed the first half of the season thanks to his refusal to take the vaccine, with the Nets even hiring a lobbyist to deal with it.
Yahoo Sports has now reported about the policy for the next NBA season, having obtained a memo from the league about the situation.
According to a league memo obtained by @YahooSports, the NBA will not have a vaccine mandate in place next season, but will strongly suggest all personnel be up to date with vaccinations. Periodic testing of unvaccinated players could be allowed, pending discussions with NBPA
— Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) July 26, 2022
“According to a league memo obtained by@YahooSports, the NBA will not have a vaccine mandate in place next season, but will strongly suggest all personnel be up to date with vaccinations. Periodic testing of unvaccinated players could be allowed, pending discussions with NBPA.”
This will allow every player to be available for their team moving forward next season, regardless of their vaccination status, something that is important for those that remain vaccinated. They may be subject to tests, but with the number of cases not where they used to be, the risk is significantly lower at this point.
The NBA needs all its stars on the court to put out the best product they can, something that will have been a consideration in this situation. One way or another, next season promises to be extremely exciting, and whatever moves are left in the offseason will only contribute to it being more so.
