Why LeBron James Shouldn’t Cover for Vaccine Refusers
In most years, NBA Media Day is pretty uneventful—just an opportunity for players and teams to gather before the press and discuss their goals for the upcoming season. But unfortunately for pro basketball, the headlines after this week’s interviews weren’t about how likely the Milwaukee Bucks are to repeat as NBA champions, or whether LeBron James and his veteran Los Angeles Lakers team can add another title to James’s legendary résumé. The big story out of Media Day was the misguided opinions of players who have refused vaccination against COVID-19.
Ninety percent of NBA players are vaccinated, the league has reported, but the unvaccinated status of the Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving, the Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal, the Golden State Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins, and the Orlando Magic’s Jonathan Isaac took center stage. Each player made troubling, uninformed statements when asked why he hadn’t been vaccinated.
Beal, for example, tried to turn questions about vaccination back on reporters. “I would like an
