the NBA facing the puzzle of unvaccinated players

The poster is superb to launch the new season of the National Basketball Association (NBA): the Wilwaukee Bucks, defending champions, receive on the evening of Tuesday, October 19 one of the big favorites of the North American basketball championship, the Brooklyn Nets. But the shock will take place without one of the stars of the New York club: Kyrie Irving. The number 11 of the Nets is among the less than 5% of unvaccinated players and, as such, a few days before the resumption, he was dismissed by his club.

This strong choice and heavy consequences for a franchise that aims for the title – Kyrie Irving scored 27 points per game last season – is not, officially, a sanction or an incentive to change his mind. It responds to a sporting logic, assumed by the management of the Nets in a press release:

“We have decided that Kyrie Irving will not play or train with the team until he is eligible to be available for all games. (…) We will not allow any member of our team to be only partially available. “

Due to the health restrictions decreed by the city of New York, Kyrie Irving is, in fact, not authorized to play the matches of his home team, insofar as he is not vaccinated, but only those at the home. outside, around forty meetings.

An insufficient number to create a sporting alchemy, according to the management of the Nets, which therefore deprives itself full time of one of the members of its “Big 3”, formed by Irving and superstars Kevin Durant and James Harden.

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“But who are you talking to, Kyrie?” “

After a few days of silence, the 29-year-old point guard said he was not an antivax. “Everyone has the right to do what they think is right for them. No one should be forced to do anything with their body ”, he justified in a video posted on October 13 on his account Instagram.

A few days earlier, the famous sports site The Athletic explained that the player contested the obligation for employees to be vaccinated on pain of losing their job, and that he wanted to be a “Spokesperson” for those who cannot express themselves.

This posture received a mixed reception in the American media. Its most virulent detractors accuse it of mixing everything up. “This is the dumbest nonsense I’ve heard”, was carried away Stephen A. Smith, a “big mouth” of the “First Take” program on ESPN. “But who are you talking to, Kyrie?” “, asked former American football player Marcus Spears, also a consultant. “The Covid is not racism”, he added.

“I hope Kyrie, despite his opinions on the vaccine, decides to get the shot, because I would really like to see him play basketball this season.”, reacted, Monday, the boss of the NBA, Adam Silver.

The Nets’ decision to dismiss Irving has huge financial consequences for the player, who will not be paid for the games missed at home (more than 300,000 dollars – 258,500 euros – per game, according to ESPN). Kyrie Irving being in his last year of contract, it is unthinkable that the club will offer him the tens of millions of dollars extension that was mentioned a few weeks ago.

Despite this financial windfall that is flying away, there is little chance of changing the mind of this atypical character of the league, an activist very involved in the cause of African-Americans, but who was able to say, there is a few years, that the Earth was flat, or to propose a parallel league to the NBA in 2020 during the pandemic.

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A strict protocol in place

The NBA, she tried to convince all the players to be vaccinated, but a few days before the recovery, there were about twenty refractory. By comparison, the North American ice hockey league, the NHL, had just four players – out of more than 700 – unvaccinated at the start of its season on October 12.

The players’ union (of which Kyrie Irving is a vice-president) refused the league’s proposal to make the vaccine mandatory. This has led the NBA to put in place a strict protocol for unvaccinated players.

Among the many measures, they will, unlike the vaccinated, undergo daily tests during training, match and travel days. They must remain, with some exceptions, at home on match days at home, and at the hotel during away matches. They are not allowed to go to restaurants, bars, or any other indoor gathering place, and they should limit their interactions with the outdoors as much as possible. If they are in contact, a quarantine of seven days is imposed on them, while the vaccinated will not be subjected to isolation.

Michael Jordan brought his stone to the building

Even the legend Michael Jordan made his contribution. “I am in unison with the league, To declared the one who is considered the best basketball player in history. I firmly believe in science. I’ll stick with that, and I hope everyone follows the rules. ”

If Andrew Wiggins (Golden State), initially recalcitrant, finally decided to be vaccinated, there remains a hard core of inflexible, like Jonathan Isaac (Orlando) or Michael Porter (Denver), who have yet caught the Covid-19 in the past.

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LeBron James cautious

In this context, the subject remains sensitive. As proof, the statements of the huge star of the league LeBron James, engaged on many fronts of struggle, but more cautious on that of vaccination, to which he finally gave in: “I admit I was very skeptical, but after doing my research I thought it was best for me, my family and my friends,” said the Lakers player, then evading:

“This is not about politics, racism or police brutality. I don’t think I should get involved in what people do for their bodies. “

The current situation embarrasses everyone in the NBA: the league, the clubs, the players, the media. We would almost forget the sporting issue, at the dawn of a 75e eagerly awaited and indecisive season. The Bucks are putting their title on the line; ambitious LeBron James will aim for a fifth ring at age 37; and the Nets are big favorites. With or without Irving, who ruled out the idea of ​​a forced retirement: “Do not think that I will give up this sport for an obligatory vaccination. “

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Coach and four assistants fired in college football

Non-vaccination also has consequences in other sports in the United States. Washington State University (Northwest) on Monday fired Nick Rolovich, the coach of its American football team, for refusing to comply with a state ruling that all employees the public service must be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Democratic Governor Jay Inslee had set Monday as the deadline for thousands of state employees, including Cougars’ coach, to be vaccinated. Mr Rolovich, who is the first major college coach to lose his job due to his vaccination status, had requested a religious exemption which was declined. Four of his deputies were also fired for refusing vaccination.

Nick Rolovich, 42, was the highest paid state employee with an annual salary of over $ 3 million (around 2.6 million euros) and a contract that ran until 2025. He did not He did not specify his reasons for refusing the vaccination, but he was the only unvaccinated head coach in his championship.

Rolovich was fired for cause, meaning the university does not have to honor the remainder of his contract, although legal action over the decision is likely.


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