NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar reportedly told Rolling Stone that NBA players who are not vaccinated should no longer be on the team.
“The NBA should insist that all players and staff are vaccinated or remove them from the team,” said Abdul-Jabbar.
“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.”
It’s very clear that Abdul-Jabbar is a strong advocate of the Covid-19 vaccine. He recently was photographed getting his dose of the vaccine and later did an NBA press conference urging others to do the same.
The NBA has not yet mandated players to get the vaccine. However, referees and other personnel who interact directly with players must be vaccinated.
In August, New York City and San Francisco changed the game by requiring NBA players on their home teams to be vaccinated.
This might mean that NBA players from such cities will be unable to play unless medically or religiously exempt.
In the Rolling Stone article, Abdul-Jabbar called out the anti-vaxxers.
“What I find especially disingenuous about the vaccine deniers is their arrogance at disbelieving immunology and other medical experts,” he told Rolling Stone. “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?”
While vaccine skepticism is decreasing, some people are still cautious.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 25 % of the Black population in the United States were completely vaccinated in August, making them the least vaccinated demographic group. Only 9% of the Black population in the United States are fully immunized.
However, the CDC notes that just 68% of those who are fully vaccinated have racial and ethnic data available.
Abdul-Jabbar has stressed the necessity of reaching out to vaccine skeptics, particularly those in minority communities.
“We have to gain the trust of minority communities by showing them that the vaccine is effective and that it’s in their best interest to take the vaccine,” Abdul-Jabbar told CNN’s Chris Cuomo in March. “The problem in times past was that no one wanted to give them the latest treatment.”
He was referring to the Tuskegee experiment, in which researchers held off on treating Black men with syphilis between 1932 and 1972, allowing the disease to spread.
According to Abdul-Jabbar, it’s up to the celebrities and athletes to help those skeptical about taking the vaccine.
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