On Wednesday, the NBA announced it would not pay players who are not vaccinated for their missed games.
"Any player who elects not to comply with local vaccination mandates will not be paid for games that he misses," NBA spokesman Mike Bass' statement read, according to The Hill.
The withholding of pay is in reference to several COVID-19 safety protocols the league put in place on Thursday ahead of the tipoff of its new season, set for Oct. 19.
Although the safety protocols do not include a COVID-19 vaccination mandate, players who are not vaccinated will not be allowed to eat among vaccinated players, and their lockers will be far away from those of vaccinated players.
Unvaccinated players will also be required to wear masks and submit to weekly COVID-19 tests. Vaccinated players are not required to do so.
So far, 90% of NBA players are fully vaccinated, but a handful, including some of the league's top players, are not. Such players include Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal and Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins. But the decision not to be vaccinated for players such as Wiggins, whose home cities require vaccines for large events, could make the problem more complex.
Though the NBA tried to require vaccines, the National Basketball Players Association blocked the decision and called such a policy a nonstarter.
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