The NBA's reported new vaccine mandate is a good first step, but it needs players to buy in

The NBA's mandate will only go so far without the players.

The NBA is, once again, doing all it can to make sure it gets out ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic next season.

We saw the league institute stringent policies for players at the NBA’s Summer League this offseason when it came to the vaccine.

Players who went to Las Vegas and competed without one were subjected to stringent testing rules and protocols to ensure their safety and the safety of others. If they were vaccinated, however, they could move freely throughout Las Vegas.

Now, the NBA is taking things a step further beyond that with all employees, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

All NBA personnel who have roles revolving around interactions with players and referees are required to be fully vaccinated. That includes coaches, medical staff, front office employees and even arena employees.

The following NBA personnel must be fully vaccinated in order to conduct in-person interactions with players and refs: Coaching staff, medical/performance staff, equipment, front office, player development, team/arena security, PR, social media, scorer's table, attendants. https://t.co/E2EWbrTBkG

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 27, 2021

This is a good thing. It’s best to be vaccinated to remain safe, first and foremost. But this also keeps the possibility of passing the virus on to players at a minimum, which also means there could be a reduction in instances where games are forfeited.

There is an obvious caveat here, however.

Anyone reading that tweet probably immediately notices that there is one key party missing here: The players. They’re not included in this mandate, nor are the referees.

There’s a reason for that. Both players and referees are represented by a union. And, without union approval, the league does not have the authority to mandate the vaccine for them.

So that’s potentially a huge roadblock here. The NBA could push to get every player vaccinated, but it can’t require it right now without player buy-in.

And, at this point, it seems unlikely that the league will get it. Big names in the NBA like LeBron James and former NBAPA president Chris Paul were hesitant to discuss the vaccine and wouldn’t say whether they think players should take it or not.

While it’s not exactly their responsibility to do so, what they say matters. And what James and Paul say does tend to reflect the feelings of folks from the NBA community at large. With that being the case, it feels unlikely that any vaccine mandate of any sort could ever be decided on.

So, yes, the league’s current mandate is good. And it’s awesome to see it taking these steps. But it’ll only go so far if the players aren’t on board.

And that’s where the NBA should set its sights next.

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