Los Angeles Lakers star and four-time NBA champion LeBron James has been quiet as it relates to getting vaccinated for COVID-19.
That was definitely going to change when he met with reporters during Lakers media day on Tuesday. Surprisingly, King James did not mince any words when it comes to whether he received the jab.
Given what we’re seeing around the NBA right now, it was not a foregone conclusion that LeBron James would be vaccinated.
A ton of star players have pushed back against getting the shots, including James’ former teammate with the Cleveland Cavaliers Kyrie Irving.
There’s been a push from some within the Players Association that remain vaccine hesitant. Right now, between 50 and 60 players around the NBA have not received even one shot.
From an on-court perspective, there’s a lot to focus on here. Both the city of New York and San Francisco have mandated that individuals must be vaccinated to attend large-scale indoor events.
In San Francisco, Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins could potentially miss their 41 home games unless he’s pressured in to getting the vaccine. Meanwhile, Irving could very well sit out a ton of Brooklyn Nets games.
While there’s no such mandate in Los Angeles, there’s a chance that city officials could end up following suit as the Delta variant continues to take hold around the United States. It’s in this that LeBron James finally coming out and indicating he’s vaccinated could be an absolutely huge deal with the Lakers’ preseason opener less than a week away.