Vaccine no slam dunk
» At least two Spurs urge caution before making COVID vaccine mandatory.
The national rollout of a COVID-19 vaccine has sparked debate in NBA circles about whether players and team staff should be required to be immunized against the virus that has killed 318,000 people in the United States.
Two Spurs players on Monday said they would need to investigate further before endorsing a plan that would make the vaccine mandatory.
“I’m in the middle of research and can’t really answer that question right now,” 34-year-old forward Rudy Gay said, when asked if inoculations against COVID should be an NBA job requirement. “I strongly advise everyone to do research before they take a shot or anything.”
Guard Lonnie Walker IV, who is 12 years Gay’s junior, echoed the sentiment of his older teammate.
“I don’t really know too much about it,” Walker said. “I know it’s just a vaccine that’s pretty much a protein that is going to allow your body to identify the virus. But other than that, I still have got to do my research and understand exactly what it does.”
The NBA cannot force players to take the vaccine without first negotiating that requirement with the National Basketball Players Association.
With the regular-season openers slated for this week, that seems to be a backburner issue for now.
The 158-page guide of health and safety protocols the league released before training camps began called for the NBA and NBA Players’ Association to discuss the vaccine once the Federal Drug Administration and other infectious disease experts deem the shots “safe and effective.”
In an interview with ESPN on Monday, commissioner Adam Silver vowed the NBA would not “jump the line” when it came to getting the vaccine before the public at large.
“Because our players are so young and healthy without some sort of comorbidity, they will not be a high priority for vaccinations,” Silver said. “There are some other members of the NBA community working on the court who are older and will have a higher priority to get the vaccine.”
One of those would likely be Gregg Popovich, the Spurs’ 71year-old coach.
Also in the ESPN interview, Silver said he hoped enough players will voluntarily sign up for the vaccine when the time comes the league will not have to bargain with the NBPA over the issue.
Gay, a 14-year NBA veteran, said he will ultimately listen to the players association for guidance if and when a vaccine becomes available to him.
“That’s something we’re going to have a meeting and a conversation about,” Gay said. “The players association has always been about players voicing their opinions and going with what they believe. I can’t see them making us do it, but it deserves a conversation for sure.”
Walker striving for consistency in play
Walker finished the preseason with a pair of games in Houston that define the word “inconsistent.”
The third-year guard scored a team-high 17 points and made three 3-pointers in the first five minutes of Tuesday’s loss to the Rockets.
Two days later, on the same Toyota Center court, Walker scored one point and attempted only two field goals in another defeat.
Walker, who missed the first week of training camp dealing with a back issue, said it has taken him a while to round into form.
“It was just me not playing my game, not being as aggressive as I should be,” Walker said of the second preseason game in Houston. “It’s preseason, I was still trying to get better from my back. It was still not 100 percent, so it was my fault.”
Gay planning virtual reunion in Memphis
The Spurs open the regular season Wednesday in Memphis, where Gay spent his first 5½ NBA seasons and still harbors many lasting friendships.
Because of the ongoing pandemic, this return trip to his old stomping grounds won’t be quite so special for Gay.
He says he plans to forgo any in-person reunions.
“I’m going to say ‘hi’ and send my text messages,” Gay said. “I think everyone understands what’s going on right now. Who knows? Things is the future, the next time we get there maybe I’ll get to see everybody.”