The NBA announced more than a week ago that those players who missed games because they were not vaccinated would see their salary decreased in proportion to those games. Well, although it seemed a firm determination, the Players Union, through the voice of its executive director, Michele Roberts, assures that it does not agree with the movement of the League, leaving even in the air what can be done.
“We’ll see. They have been reporting that we have agreed that if a player cannot play matches due to not being vaccinated, they could have their pay cut. It is not like this. We did not agree. The league’s position is that they can do it. We’ll see. If we get to that situation, we’ll see. Our position is that they cannot. The league’s position is that they can do it beyond our eyes, “he tells Stefan Bondy of New York Daily News.
This question really concerns only the players of the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets, and since they are all vaccinated except Kyrie Irving, in reality it is only about what he does and happens with the New York point guard. For now, and without it being something definitive, it has not been inoculated and maintains the uncertainty in the team, which is not clear whether to allow it to play only half of the games.
Leaving aside what ends up happening, the union insists that nothing is clear. «It is something debatable. We’ll see. I am not going to say that it is impossible, but I am going to say that it is a bridge that we will cross when the time comes. So far we have only agreed that if a player breaks the protocols they can be disciplined with something like a tax. But not being vaccinated, because it is not mandatory, in itself should not give rise to any disciplinary action, “he says.
(Photograph by Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)
