Vaccine-resistant NBA player Wiggins gets his COVID-19 jab

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - Golden State Warriors wing Andrew Wiggins on Sunday received his coronavirus jab to play for his team this season.

"Golden State’s Andrew Wiggins has been vaccinated and will be available for all games this season," NBA insider Shams Charania said on Twitter.

NBA does not mandate but is pushing vaccine-resistant players to get their coronavirus jabs before the season begins on Oct. 19.

Canadian small forward Wiggins, 26, previously applied for a religious exemption but the NBA denied his request.

Nearly 90% of NBA players have received at least one dose of the shot, but some are reportedly not vaccinated.

According to Charania's previous report on Twitter, league spokesman Mike Bass said on Wednesday that a player who refuses to be vaccinated will not be paid for games that he misses during the 2021-22 season.

The NBA is planning to frequently test unvaccinated personnel.

Also, unvaccinated players reportedly will be obliged to wear masks at team facilities and during travel.

The league told teams to arrange seating for travel, meals, meetings, and locker rooms as a restriction for vaccine-resistant players.