The NBA on Friday denied Andrew Wiggins’ request for a COVID-19 vaccination exemption, leaving the Golden State Warriors swingman ineligible to play home games until he meets San Francisco’s vaccination requirement.
The ruling was announced hours after the New York Knicks said that their entire roster is vaccinated, making all their players eligible to play in their home games.
Wiggins is one of the highest-profile NBA players to publicly say that he will not take the vaccine.
Photo: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY
“To each his own, really,” Wiggins said in March. “Whoever wants to get it can get it, whoever doesn’t want to get it, don’t get it.”
“Right now, I’m not getting it, but it’s no knock on anyone else that’s getting it,” he said. “I make my own decisions, but right now, I decided not to get it.”
The Warriors’ first home game of the regular season is against the Los Angeles Clippers on Oct. 21.
Because of local COVID-19 regulations in New York and San Francisco, the Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and Warriors are required to be vaccinated to play in their home arenas unless exemptions for medical or religious reasons apply.
Wiggins sought an exemption from the league for religious reasons.
“The NBA has reviewed and denied Andrew Wiggins’ request for religious exemption from the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s order requiring COVID-19 vaccination for all participants age 12 and older at large indoor events,” the league said in a statement. “Wiggins will not be able to play in Warriors home games until he fulfills the city’s vaccination requirements.”
The San Francisco Department of Public Health earlier on Friday said that there would be no exemption for anyone aged 12 or older at large indoor gatherings.
“Under the current order, if unvaccinated, they cannot enter indoor areas regardless of the reason they are unvaccinated and cannot test out of this requirement even if they have a medical or religious exemption,” it said in a statement.
Unvaccinated players are allowed to play this season, although the NBA has said that they will have to be tested daily on practice and travel days and at least once — possibly more — on game days, while fully vaccinated players will not be subject to daily testing.
However, the Knicks, Nets and Warriors face stricter rules because of their local regulations, which the NBA has told teams do not apply to clubs visiting them.
The Knicks were the first of those teams to say they have met the mandate.
“I’m proud to say that our organization — players, coaches and staff — are 100 percent vaccinated,” Knicks general manager Scott Perry said. “And I think it’s a credit to our players, too, in particular that they took this thing very seriously and took the responsibility to get that done.”
Nets general manager Sean Marks earlier this week said that a couple players would not yet be eligible, but he was confident everyone would be able to participate by the time the regular season begins on Oct. 19.
San Francisco’s mandate does not take effect until the middle of next month. Training camps are to open on Tuesday.
The NBA has struck agreements this off-season to have virtually all parties involved in games — referees, coaches, stat-crew workers and anyone else who will be in close proximity to players on or off the court in NBA arenas — vaccinated to participate.
The one exception: The players themselves, with the National Basketball Players’ Association rebuking all efforts from the NBA to mandate that they be vaccinated.
About 85%percent of players were vaccinated at the end of last season. The leaguewide figure is believed to have increased since.
Atlanta Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk said that one player is completing his vaccine regimen. Everyone else on the roster has been vaccinated, as well as the entire coaching and front office staff.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau credited the Knicks’ medical staff for keeping the organization educated and aware about virus protocols.
Perry praised the players for acting on the information they were given, saying their decision to get vaccinated was unrelated to any rules.
“As an organization we’re obviously following laws and mandates for the league and state government, but a lot of this was internal, internally driven,” Perry said.
Additional reporting by AFP
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