There should be no vaccination requirement for the NBA players in the upcoming season. Following a discussion with the Players Association, the league reportedly decided not to include any obligation but to limit itself to a strong recommendation.
Reporting this as a preview Yahoo! Sports which also adds the possibility of periodic swabs For players who are not up to date with all recommended doses of Covid vaccine.
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
A situation that could affect about 5% of athletes given that 95% of players are vaccinated. However, there were some egregious cases during the last season such as the many competitions missed by Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets and the absence of Matisse Thybulle of the Philadelphia 76ers in playoff games played in Canada against the Toronto Raptors.
Beyond this will have to be evaluated the decisions of health authorities in the various states or Canada itself, which could still restrict the activities of unvaccinated athletes.
