Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins has finally received his COVID-19 vaccine and will be eligible to play in home games after ru...
Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins has finally received his COVID-19 vaccine and will be eligible to play in home games after running the risk of losing $8.9 million in salary due to a local San Francisco mandate.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr made the announcement to reporters Sunday after practice as the team prepared to travel to Portland to play its first preseason game.
Wiggins faced the possibility of not being allowed into Golden State's home building at Chase Center for games starting October 13 when the San Francisco Department of Public Health begins requiring proof of vaccination for large indoor events.
Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins (pictured) has finally received his COVID-19 vaccine and will be eligible to play in all games after running the risk of losing $8.9 million in salary due to NBA rules and a local San Francisco injection mandate
Wiggins faced the possibility of not being allowed into Golden State's home building at Chase Center (pictured) for games starting October 13 when the San Francisco Department of Public Health begins requiring proof of vaccination for large indoor events
The NBA announced last week that players who missed games due to local vaccine mandates in San Francisco and New York would forfeit salary. In total, Wiggins stood to lose $8.9 million, according to former Brooklyn Nets assistant general manager and ESPN salary cap expert Bobby Marks.
On Monday at media day, Wiggins had said he would stick to his beliefs regarding the vaccine but noted: 'Back is definitely against the wall, but I'm just going to keep fighting for what I believe. I'm going to keep fighting for what I believe is right. What's right to one person isn't right to the other and vice versa.'
The NBA said it 'reviewed and denied' Wiggins' request for a religious exemption and that he would not be able to play in Warriors home games until he fulfilled the vaccine mandate. Anyone 12 or older is required to show proof of vaccination to attend indoor events at Chase Center, and that message is on the Warriors´ website for fans.
Wiggins declined to explain what those beliefs actually entail, saying, 'It's none of your business, that's what it comes down to.'
'It's my problem not yours,' he said.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr made the announcement to reporters Sunday after practice as the team prepared to travel to Portland to play its first preseason game
Wiggins's vaccination status has been one of the bigger preseason topics in NBA circles, and made headlines this week when teammate Draymond Green publicly refused to push the 26-year-old to get the shot.
Explaining that Wiggins was making a personal decision about his health, Green said that it's not his role to push anyone into getting vaccinated.
'When you talking about vaccinated and non-vaccinated, I think it's become very political,' said Green, who is vaccinated. 'When you make something so political and not everyone is into politics, then you can also turn those people off.
'I think there is something to be said for some people's concern for something that's being pressed so hard. Like, ''Why are you pressing this so hard? So much, just pressing and pressing and pressing.''
'You have to honor people's feelings and their own personal beliefs, and I think that's been lost when it comes to vaccinated and non-vaccinated. And it kinda sucks that that's been lost.'
Green also said that vaccine mandates go 'against everything America stands for.'
'You say we live in the land of the free,' Green said. 'Well, you're not giving anyone freedom because you're making people do something, essentially — without necessarily making them, you're making them do something.'
He was quickly seconded on Twitter by rival LeBron James.
'Couldn't have said it any better @Money23Green!' the vaccinated Lakers star tweeted on Friday in response to the statement.
Vaccinated Warriors star Draymond Green is refusing to push teammate Andrew Wiggins to get the COVID-19 shot and says any mandate 'goes against everything America stands for'
Green's statement was immediately seconded by vaccinated Lakers star LeBron James
James shared similar opinions at Lakers media day earlier this week.
'I don't talk about other people and what they should do,' James said.
James said he was initially skeptical about getting vaccinated, but he's gotten the shot
'We're talking about individual bodies. We're not talking about something political or racism or police brutality,' James went on. 'I don't think I personally should get involved in what other people do for their bodies and livelihoods.
'I know what I did for me and my family. ... But as far as speaking for everybody and their individualities and things they want to do, that's not my job.'
The Lakers say they expect to be 100 percent vaccinated when the season opens later this month.
The NBA has enjoyed a 5 percent bump in its vaccination rate, up from 90 percent, as training camps have started across the league.
Based on a rough count of nearly 600 players in the league right now for training camps - that figure will be closer to 500 when the regular season begins October 19 and rosters get trimmed - the 95 percent figure would suggest that, on average, one player per team is unvaccinated.
ESPN first reported the 95 percent figure. Earlier in the week, AP reported that the league-wide rate entering the week was 90 percent and climbing.
The NBA gave teams tentative health and safety protocols for the season Tuesday, detailing how players who haven't gotten the COVID-19 vaccination will be tested far more often than their vaccinated colleagues and face a slew of other restrictions.
Among the rules for unvaccinated players: They will not be able to eat in the same room with vaccinated teammates or staff, must have lockers as far away from vaccinated players as possible, and must stay masked and at least 6 feet away from all other attendees in any team meeting.
Further, unvaccinated players will be 'required to remain at their residence when in their home market,' teams were told in the draft of the rules, a copy of which was obtained by AP. They will also need to stay on team hotel properties when on the road. In both cases, there are limited permissible exceptions - such as going to buy groceries, taking children to school and the like.
Nearly half of the league's teams have said in recent days that they are already fully vaccinated or on the cusp of hitting that threshold. Other players, such as Wiggins and Washington's Bradley Beal, have said they remain unvaccinated.
Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker has not revealed whether or not he is vaccinated
Phoenix's Devin Booker - who has missed the start of camp after testing positive for COVID-19 - has not disclosed his vaccination status. Neither has Brooklyn's Kyrie Irving, though not appearing in person at Nets media day in New York on Monday would suggest that he is unvaccinated.
Local laws in San Francisco and New York mean that players for the Warriors, Nets and New York Knicks will have to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to play home games. And if players like Wiggins or Irving are unable to play at home because of their vaccination status, they will not be paid for those games, the NBA said earlier this week. Irving, for instance, would stand to lose around $17 million.
Nets owner Joe Tsai, who is vaccinated, commented on Irving's status to Brian Lewis of the New York Post.
'Kyrie talks about it as a sort of personal choice issue, which I respect,' Tsai said. 'But we all need to not forget that our goal, what is our goal this year. What's our purpose this year? It's very very clear -- win a championship. And a championship team needs to have everybody pulling the same direction. So I hope to see Kyrie play fully and win a championship together with everybody else with all his teammates.'
The first preseason game of the season is Sunday when the Nets visit James's Lakers.
Local laws in San Francisco and New York mean that players for the Warriors, Nets and Knicks will have to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to play at home. And if players are unable to do so because of their vaccination status, they will not be paid for those games, the NBA said earlier this week. Irving (pictured) would stand to lose around $17 million
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