Lakers star LeBron James did not confirm or deny whether he plans to get the vaccine when asked by a reporter ahead of Sunday’s controversial All-Star Game. The comments come just days after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said he expects most players will choose to get vaccinated.
“That’s a conversation my family and I will have. I’ll keep that to a private thing,” James said, according to Mark Medina of USA Today.
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Earlier Sunday, it was reported that both Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons had been ruled out of the All-Star Game, after their barber tested positive for COVID-19.
“Ultimately these are personal decisions that players need to make,” Silver said when asked if he plans to require players to get vaccinated. “And yet…. My hunch is that most players ultimately will choose to get vaccinated.”
“The CDC has already announced when you get vaccinated, you don’t need to quarantine as a close contact. As you know, many of our players have had to sit out not because they tested positive but because they were required to quarantine because of a close contact,” Silver said. “In addition, right now as we operate under this so-called work quarantine protocol, where players are largely only going between their homes and the arenas, once they get vaccinated they’ll be able to do more in their communities. That’s something we’ve already begun talking to the Players Association about.”
The All-Star Game is set to tip-off at 8:00 PM, Sunday.
[Via]