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Tim BontempsESPN
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said on Saturday that the NBA will not need anyone to get a COVID-19 vaccine, but he believes most players will eventually decide to do so.
“We see it now, both in the actual number of people being vaccinated in the United States and in opinion polls, that people are becoming more willing to be vaccinated,” Silver said during his virtual news conference in Atlanta, Atlanta. ‘I think of those who are hesitant, while tens of millions of people in the United States are now getting the vaccine, that people are seeing at least in the short term what the impact is, and it’s hearing how incredibly effective these vaccines are.
“My idea is that most players will eventually choose to be vaccinated. They have to make personal decisions at the end of the day – and I take it very seriously, and I take concerns very seriously. But my point is most [players] will eventually decide that it is in their best interest to be vaccinated. ‘
Part of Silver’s logic why players are interested in getting a vaccine is that it will make their lives a lot simpler. In the NBA’s health and safety protocols, players not only have to be tested as many as three times a day, but they are also subject to quarantine periods, even if they do not test themselves positively when they were close. contact “with someone who.
This is, for example, twice this season with All Star Kevin Durant – including last month when he was initially kept out of a game against the Toronto Raptors, only to be able to play halfway through the first quarter and then be drawn. again halfway through the third, after an unconvincing test through a close contact became a positive test.
In this case, if Durant has received a vaccine, he no longer needs to be quarantined at all.
“In addition to the personal health benefits, as well as the family health benefits, the economic benefits of being vaccinated, because of the protocols we have, it’s incredibly heavy for our players and for our teams. , “said Silver. “But for example, the CDC has already announced that if you are vaccinated, you do not have to go quarantine as a close contact. As you know, many of our players had to be singled out, not because they tested positive, but because they had to be in quarantine due to close contact.
‘On top of that, now, while we work under the so-called work-quarantine protocol, where players largely just go between their homes and the arena, they will be able to do more in their communities once they are vaccinated. And that’s what we’re talking about with the Players’ Association. There will therefore be some benefits and advantages to being vaccinated for the players. ‘
The NBA has had to postpone 31 games so far due to the league’s health and safety protocols, with several teams – including the Washington Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs – having to miss several games because they did not have enough players available. play in a game.
However, Silver said he believes it is “realistic” to complete the playoffs without mandatory vaccinations for players because he believes the league’s protocols have largely worked.
“I think it’s realistic, even if we did not need vaccinations, because of course no one – none of the players – has been vaccinated now, and we only have to postpone a relatively small percentage of games,” Silver said. We know that a test protocol mostly works with the wearing of a mask and all the other precautions we take.
“The NCAA tournament is being played again this year, without vaccinations for their players. For me, we will make extra progress if players are vaccinated, but it certainly does not require everyone to be vaccinated.”
However, Silver did not answer what would happen if there was a situation where an NBA team had to be shut down due to the virus during the playoffs – as the league has had to do on several occasions so far. Once the NCAA tournament starts, and if a team has an outbreak that prevents it from playing, their opponent will forfeit going to the next round.