"Remove them from the team" - LA Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gets brutally honest about unvaccinated NBA players
LA Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has long since retired from the NBA, but still maintains an active role in the community as a champion for social causes.
With the NBA's Social Justice Award in his name, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is an influential personality in the activism sphere.
In a recent email interview with Rolling Stone, he spoke up about current issues regarding vaccination mandates for NBA players. With regard to the players choosing to stay unvaccinated, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had this to say:
"The NBA should insist that all players and staff are vaccinated or remove them from the team. There is no room for players who are willing to risk the health and lives of their teammates, the staff and the fans simply because they are unable to grasp the seriousness of the situation or do the necessary research. What I find especially disingenuous about the vaccine deniers is their arrogance at disbelieving immunology and other medical experts. Yet, if their child was sick or they themselves needed emergency medical treatment, how quickly would they do exactly what those same experts told them to do?"
kareem has never missed rollingstone.com/culture/cultur… https://t.co/6liUgWrwIW
As the league attempts to deal with the necessary legislation in the states regarding the vaccine and activities associated with being vaccinated, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar believes that the league needs champions for the cause.
Unvaccinated players in the NBA are an issue
When players choose to stay unvaccinated, they also choose to endanger the lives of people in close proximity. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's statement about them being responsible for their actions, however, reflects upon their team's success in the season as well.
With the recent legislation passed in New York and San Francisco, the requirement for players to be vaccinated prior to the season opener at home is the need of the hour.
Because of local coronavirus regulations in New York and San Francisco, the Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and Warriors are required to be vaccinated unless exemptions for medical or religious reasons apply.
@kslsports
kslsports.com/468700/nba-den…
With teams such as the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and the Golden State Warriors representing the cities, they are required to ensure that the players on their roster are completely vaccinated in order to play home games.
While Knicks GM Scott Perry has announced that all the players in the Knicks have been vaccinated, the Nets and Warriors can't share the same sentiment.
The Nets' Kyrie Irving and Andrew Wiggins of the Golden State Warriors are two names emerging in the list of unvaccinated NBA players for these teams.
According to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, with the rate of African-Americans getting vaccinated being the slowest among all ethnicities in the, the players in the NBA who choose to remain silent about it are no longer legitimate role models for the people.
With some players maintaining their stance on being unvaccinated for their own reasons, the rest of the league looks to move forward with the process of vaccination for their teams.
Also Read: How much do NBA referees make?