You see, NBA players are totally cool with forced labor and the erosion of freedoms in China but asking them to comply with local vaccine mandates here in the U.S. is just a step too far:
EXCLUSIVE: @RollingStone got inside an NBA players' union meeting, where stars are saying any jab requirement is a "non-starter."
One of a number of 👀 moments in this monster story, just out: https://t.co/5JNoqsZ6TJ
— Noah Shachtman (@NoahShachtman) September 26, 2021
It’s a “civil war,” even:
Conspiracy theories in the locker room. Mask police in the arena. Superstars trying to avoid the shot. After bringing back the culture from Covid, The NBA confronts its own civil war https://t.co/iNWfCQFLOf
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) September 26, 2021
One of the conspiracy theories flying around NBA locker rooms involves the Moderna vaccine and a microchip:
“This Moderna microchip misinformation campaign has spread across multiple NBA locker rooms and group chats” https://t.co/uXoPCK61LM
— Jonathan Martin (@jmartNYT) September 26, 2021
Satan is involved, too:
What in the world https://t.co/FPqcXJIM9q pic.twitter.com/9e39U5gXIN
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) September 26, 2021
They are okay with masks while on the sideline, which is just bonkers:
NBA will require masks, but not vaccines, which is exactly backwards. https://t.co/jbqIRI5WSy
— tedfrank 💉 (@tedfrank) September 26, 2021
And players right now are looking for ways to get around the mandates in various cities:
What a piece from @sullduggery. Kyrie Irving’s aunt says Irving isn’t going to try to get a religious exemption to get around being an anti-vaxxer. He’s going to try to get around the rules. https://t.co/oeCGF61UH4 pic.twitter.com/GpoDevKUWv
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) September 26, 2021
NBA legend Kareem Abdul Jabar, however, scolded the players and says the NBA should mandate the vaccine as well:
"The NBA should insist that all players and staff are vaccinated or remove them from the team."
"What I find especially disingenuous about the vaccine deniers is their arrogance."
Kareem with the sky-hook truth bomb, in a land of anti-truth. https://t.co/d43hWWNwaT pic.twitter.com/i7RaQusXuM
— Matt Sullivan (@sullduggery) September 26, 2021
So, you’re telling us this isn’t the Fox News demo at work here?
“I’ve talked to a lot of religious guys — I’m like: ‘it saves people’s lives, what’s more religious than that?’”@EnesKanter wants his Celtics teammates and the rest of the NBA to stop the BS and just get vaccinated. https://t.co/4mGn5Xzeqh
— nxthompson (@nxthompson) September 26, 2021
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