Lakers star LeBron James says he is vaccinated after doing research

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James said that he has received a COVID-19 vaccine despite his initial skepticism, Yahoo Sports reported.

During his team’s media day on Tuesday, James said he was wary at first about getting the vaccine but through his own research decided it was the right thing to do for himself and his family. 

“I know that I was skeptical about it all, but after doing my research, I felt it was best suited for not only me but my friends,” James said. “That’s why I decided to do it.”

Asked about potentially being a public advocate for COVID-19 vaccines, James said it was not his job, according to Yahoo Sports. 

“I know what I did for me and my family. I know what some of my friends did for their families,” James said. “But as far as speaking for everybody and their individualities and things they want to do, that’s not my job.” 

The league recently made headlines as prominent players such as Kyrie Irving, Bradley Beal and Jonathan Isaac spread misinformation related to their hesitancy about getting the vaccine. 

The U.S. is currently seeing another wave of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths, as the highly contagious delta variant hits the unvaccinated hard. 

The National Basketball Players Association has pushed back against a mandatory vaccine requirement, which the league doesn’t currently have in place. Unvaccinated players would still be allowed to play but will have to submit to daily COVID-19 testing. 

Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka noted that he expects all players to be fully vaccinated before the start of the regular season, Yahoo Sports noted.