Unvaccinated gamers in New York and San Francisco rumored to be restricted from house arenas

The NBA, like the rest of the world, is adapting to living alongside the COVID-19 virus. After the NBA spent the last part of the 2019-20 season in the Disney World Bubble and then played out a compressed 2020-21 calendar, the NBA finalized its plans for a vaccination mandate.

According to The Atheltic’s Shams Charania, the NBA will require players to abide by all the rules in their local markets.

Sources: Unvaccinated NBA players in markets with local requirements – such as NYC (Knicks, Nets) and SF (Warriors) – are not allowed to enter home arenas or facilities for games or team activities hosted there unless there is an approved medical or religious exception .

– Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 1, 2021

As mentioned in Charania’s tweet, all NBA players who have not been fully vaccinated will be denied access to their teams’ facilities or home arenas. Exceptions remain, with players being able to refuse any vaccination for medical or religious reasons.

One important aspect is that certain markets do not require NBA visitor teams and players to be vaccinated. Because what is life without a little confusion? As of now, in markets like New York and San Francisco, these rules are governed only by the home team.

This follows local government guidelines, which means that unvaccinated players in the Nets, Knicks and Warriors are not allowed to play home games. Guest players are exempt from vaccination regulations in NYC and SF. https://t.co/fPePW722Og

– Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 1, 2021

To explain this further, we can make an example. Imagine the New York Knicks and the Golden State Warriors playing against each other in Maddison Square Garden; the Knicks have two unvaccinated players while the Warriors have 3 unvaccinated players. The Warriors could line up their full roster throughout the competition, but the Knicks would be without players who are not vaccinated.

Players may no longer have a choice of whether or not to get vaccinated when they want to play

So far it has been assumed that it is the player’s decision to receive or refuse the vaccine. However, it appears that players now have to adhere to city guidelines if they want to play home games. It’s also unclear how teams will deal with players who choose not to get vaccinated.

The situation looks fluid as other local markets could change course during the season if their city sees a surge in infections. This means that other NBA teams not currently affected by this decision could go through the issue later.

For the Warriors, Andrew Wiggins is a player who previously talked about not getting the vaccine. He previously told NBC Sports:

“I can’t see myself getting it anytime soon, unless I’m somehow forced to.”

With over a month to go before the start of the NBA season, it remains to be seen how the NBA and the players’ association will develop after this rule announcement. But right now, the Knicks, Warriors and Nets seem hardest hit by the recent attempt to protect players and fans in game situations.

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