LA Clippers fully vaccinated, coach says
The coach of the Los Angeles Clippers said on Wednesday that his NBA team is fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
“Our guys are vaccinated, so, you know, we just have to do whatever the league tells us to do, we try to abide by the rules, you know, kind of go from there,” Tyronn Lue said during a press conference at San Diego State University.
“And we talked about it last year, just being able to adapt and do what we need to do to play the game that we love. And so, certain players, certain people got different beliefs, and I respect those beliefs, and our guys are fully vaccinated, so I respect their beliefs as well,” he added.
When pressed on if the team is fully vaccinated, Lue responded, “Yes.”
According to the Houston Chronicle, other fully vaccinated NBA teams include the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks, Utah Jazz, Portland Trail Blazers and Charlotte Hornets.
Lue’s disclosure came on the same day that the NBA announced that it will withhold pay for unvaccinated players who miss games this upcoming season because of local mandates.
The league also rolled out other protocols, including that unvaccinated players must wear masks and follow social distancing guidelines during team meetings.
Additionally, unvaccinated players will be required to remain in their homes when playing games in their home cities and stay in their hotel rooms when on the road, barring them from visiting businesses or large indoor gatherings.
Testing will also be a mitigation measure for both vaccinated and unvaccinated players: Those who have been inoculated will have to submit to weekly tests, while individuals who have not received their shots will be tested frequently during practices or various team events.
The season is set to tip off on Oct. 19.
The league, however, has not instituted an across-the-board vaccine requirement because such a policy would require agreement from the players association, which has called such a measure a “non-starter.”
The vaccines have caused controversy throughout the league, with some star players refusing to get the shot.
Approximately 90 percent of NBA players, however, are fully vaccinated.