Per requirements from the San Francisco Department of Public Health, all Warriors players must be vaccinated to be allowed to play in home games at the Chase Center this coming NBA season – but not every member of the roster is currently eligible to participate.
Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins applied for a religious exemption from the vaccine, but his request was denied by the NBA last week. Wiggins is now under pressure to either receive the vaccine, or miss half of the season and a potential playoff run, and forfeit all pay for the games he’s missed.
When asked if he would try to convince Wiggins to receive a vaccination for the good of the team, Draymond Green compared the situation to demanding a player stay with his team instead of leaving for the birth of a child. Green went on to stress that the “feelings” and “personal beliefs” of players are being disregarded in the conversation over vaccination status. LeBron James shared Green’s answer on Twitter, writing that he couldn’t have said it better himself.
“We’re dealing with something that, to me, feels like has turned into a political war. When you’re talking about [vaccinated] and non-vaccinated, I think it’s become very political. And for someone who’s not extremely into politics, when you make something so political and not everyone is into politics, then you can also turn those people off, you know?”
Couldn’t have said it any better @Money23Green! https://t.co/2PQZ0IaWvg
— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 1, 2021
“I think there is something to be said for people’s concern about something that’s being pressed so hard. Like, why are you pressing this so hard? Like, so much, just pressing and pressing and pressing. I think you have to honor people’s feelings and their own personal beliefs – and I think that’s been lost when it comes to vaccinated and non-vaccinated. And it kinda sucks that that’s been lost, because you’re essentially not giving anyone… you say we live in the land of the free? Well you’re not giving anyone freedom because you’re making people do something, essentially. Without necessarily making them, you’re making them do something.
And that goes against everything that America stands for, or ‘supposedly’ stands for. And so I don’t think… no, I know I’m not in any position to go tell him what he should or should not be doing. And as a leader of this team I’m not going to go to him say ‘hey man, we really need…’ Nah, the hell, you do what you feel you want to do. I’m not going to go ask him did he get a polio vaccine. So why would I go ask him if he got a COVID vaccine?”
LeBron James endorsed Green’s take on Twitter.
This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire.
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