We are all well aware of just how the coronavirus and the restrictions brought in place to stem its spread affected sports activity across the US. It seems now that the issue of vaccinations, and those who are yet to get them, could have a real impact on the coming NBA season.
Regulations in certain states will directly affect players who haven’t been vaccinated, and that group of individuals who haven’t done so is larger than many might have guessed.
The new NBA season is now just around the corner, and sports betting fans are planning their opening forays into the market, with resources such as sidelines.io/nba/odds proving most useful indeed. Currently leading the betting are the Brooklyn Nets, who are placed at a very short (+240), but those odds may not tell a true picture of how things might play out.
Star turn Kyrie Irving, who is apparently unvaccinated, will miss more than half of his team’s 82 regular-season games because, in the state of New York, he’ll be ineligible to take part in a large proportion of the games the Brooklyn Nets play.
Irving won’t be able to play in New York State and will also miss matches against the Golden State Warriors and won’t be able to train at the Nets’ practice facility; such is the legislation at present for those who have not been jabbed.
There are at least 40 other NBA players who refuse to take any vaccine for varying reasons, and this could affect the bets you place. Many Nets fans hope that Irving’s close friends, and marquee teammates, Kevin Durant and James Harden, can convince the conspiracy theorist into getting a shot.
Other players refusing to take the vaccine include Orlando Magic’s Jonathan Isaac, Washington Wizards Bradley Beal. At the same time, Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker has lost his taste and smell since contracting the virus, which could indicate that he hadn’t been vaccinated before being struck down.
Currently, the vaccination rate among the NBA players is around 95%, according to reports, but until that reaches 100%, you can be sure it may impact the team you choose to back in any NBA futures wager.
Indeed it may be a new factor for you to consider before placing any NBA bets at all, perhaps something akin to keeping on top of the NBA injury news before selecting your parlays and Moneyline picks.
One player who has been vaccinated is King LeBron James, who came out to comment on his vaccination status due to the ongoing circus around the subject, the Los Angeles Lakers star stating;
“I don’t talk about other people and what they should do,” though he did admit to initially being “very skeptical” about doing so.
Whereas LeBron may have been a little half-hearted in his approach to the situation, NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has been far more forthright in his statements about the apparent issues with NBA players and the topic of vaccinations, stating that players were;
“unable to grasp the seriousness of the situation.”
“They are failing to live up to the responsibilities that come with celebrity. Athletes are under no obligation to be spokespersons for the government, but this is a matter of public health,”
