NBA Won’t Pay Unvaccinated Players for Missed Games

The NBA issued a stark warning to its unvaccinated players: you refuse, you lose.

If unvaccinated players are forced to miss games due to local executive orders requiring vaccinations, they won’t be paid.

“Any player who elects not to comply with local vaccination mandates will not be paid for games that he misses,” NBA’s executive vice president of communications Mike Bass said in a statement Wednesday.

As reported by Good Morning America, the new rule could pose problems for teams like the Brooklyn Nets and Golden State Warriors because New York and San Francisco are among cities requiring vaccinations to enter those basketball arenas. The New York Knicks said previously that its entire team is fully vaccinated.

On Friday, the NBA announced it had “reviewed and denied” Warriors player Andrew Wiggins’ request for a religious exemption, meaning he won’t be able to play in home games until he gets the vaccine.

“I’m just going to keep fighting for what I believe in,” Wiggins said in response. “I’m going to keep fighting for what I believe is right. What’s right to one person isn’t right to the other and vice versa.”