With COVID-19 raging on, the NBA has been very adamant about carrying out health and safety protocols. Every single day, NBA players are forced to get tested against the virus and they also must comply with social distancing orders. It’s been tough for the players although with the vaccine being rolled out all around the United States, the NBA has eased restrictions for teams who have a majority of their players vaccinated.
Some players have expressed a strong desire to get the vaccine while others have avoided the topic. LeBron is among the latter group as back in March, he said the vaccine was something he would discuss with his family. Just a few weeks ago, Dennis Schroder told German media that he hadn’t gotten the vaccine and that LeBron was one of the few Lakers players who hadn’t gotten it either.
On Friday, LeBron was asked by reporters if he had plans to get the vaccine, which led to an ambiguous answer.
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“Anything I do off the floor is predicated to my family, for the majority — for 99.9% of that,” James said. “So it’s about the health and safety of my family, and that’s what it came down to. Me being available to my teammates on the floor is me taking care of my body. Me doing everything I can do to make sure I’m available both mentally, physically and spiritually, as well. But anything of that nature, that’s all family talk.” This was then followed up by LeBron saying “It’s not a big deal,” when asked directly if he had gotten vaccinated.
It’s clear the vaccine is a sensitive topic for LeBron, especially since he is one of the most influential players in the league. No matter what his opinion is, it could sway people one way or the other, and for now, he has decided to be careful with what he says. In today’s social media age, you can’t really blame him.
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