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Tim BontempsESPN
The NBA told teams on Monday that players must undergo a primary course of the COVID-19 vaccine or have medical clearance from being vaccinated in order to play in Canada, according to a league memo obtained by ESPN. I was notified that I needed to get it.
The memo states that if a player is ineligible to play in a match in Canada, the team must list them as “Out-Health and Safety Protocol,” and that any matches missed due to lack of vaccination It also states that you will lose your payment.
These are the same rules that have governed being able to play in Toronto since the middle of last season — a rule that bans at least two players, the Brooklyn Nets guard. Kyrie Irving and the Philadelphia 76ers guard Matisse Cybullfrom attending a road game against the Raptors last season.
Irving was forced to miss the game in Toronto after returning to court in Brooklyn in early January because he had not been vaccinated. Philadelphia eventually won the series in six games, and he did not receive a second COVID-19 shot.
“It wasn’t the result I was hoping for,” Thybulle told reporters in April of the situation.
Later in the regular season, ESPN said both the 76ers and Boston Celtics declined to comment on whether the teams were fully vaccinated in case they had to play the playoff series in Toronto. Reported. The team was fully vaccinated. While Boston ultimately never played Toronto, Thybulle ended up missing four games against the Raptors in Canada.
Irving, meanwhile, missed most of last season after a similar rule in New York kept him out of home games for much of the regular season.
The Raptors will play at least 44 games in Canada this season. Montreal vs Boston Celtics. Toronto against the Chicago Bulls. In addition, his 41-game regular season regular season at Scotiabank Arena includes his home his games and extra playoff his games.
The same rules apply both when you go to Canada to play games and when you enter the United States. Therefore, anyone who plays for the Raptors will need to be vaccinated to play in games this season. The Raptors were fully vaccinated last season.
The NBA’s regular season schedule is expected to be announced later this month.
The vaccination problem in Toronto was a season-long problem in baseball where unvaccinated players were unable to play against the Blue Jays for the same reason. Whit Merrifieldafter being ineligible to play in Toronto as a member of the Kansas City Royals earlier in the season, was traded to the Blue Jays and subsequently vaccinated to enable him to play for his new team.
The Bleacher Report first reported that the memo was distributed to the team on Monday.
