NBA players could get vaccines earlier to encourage others, says Adam Silver

The NBA are facing the challenges of hosting a league in the times of a pandemic, and have already seen as many as 15 games postponed a month into the season. More cases and games to be postponed are likely follow unless the NBA players get vaccinated. However, the COVID-19 vaccines are yet far from the reach of the NBA, with most states prioritising the elderly and the frontline workers.

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NBA players vaccinated? Adam Silver believes league could encourage use of vaccines 

In a virtual conference hosted by Sportico, NBA commissioner Adam Silver suggested that NBA players could get vaccinated as a sort of public service announcement to those who are hesitant that it is safe to do so. Silver said that it is something that the league is focused on, and it would definitely help if high-profile African-Americans took the vaccine. However, the NBA commissioner added that vaccinating players in the coming months will only happen if public health officials determine on balance it was the right time.

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Silver acknowledged that there has been resistance from the African-American communities due to historical reasons, but believes that vaccines are the only way to cure it. In a chat with Yahoo Sports, Michele Roberts, the executive director of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), has betokened that discussions with players have shown that many are hesitant about getting the vaccine. She herself is not certain about it, though she believes there's unlikely to be any foul-play. 

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Former Los Angeles Lakers centre Kareem Abdul-Jabaar received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine last week. The Hall-of-Famer then recorded a public service announcement with the NBA, stressing the need for the public to get vaccinated. This comes in after Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institutes of Health said that leaders with large platforms such as ministers, entertainers and athletes can set an example by getting the vaccine. Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron also has received the vaccine and hopes to spread the message.

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Adam Silver had said last month that there was no way the league would ever jump the line in any form whatsoever and emphasised that the NBA would not attempt to get the vaccine for players without the support of public health officials. The league is currently under a massive COVID-19 outbreak, with 14 games postponed in the last nine days. Silver assured that anything the league does will be fully transparent and in conjunction with public health authorities and done without 'favouritism'. 

(Image Courtesy: nba.com)