You don’t want to attach your name to something that could be potentially dangerous because then people will blame you if it doesn’t work out.
By all accounts, the COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective, but I can see why players would be hesitant to be used as poster boys.
Many of the NBA’s top players are expressing apprehension about accepting invitations to participate in league-sponsored Public Service Announcements to bolster broader acceptance of the coronavirus vaccine, sources told ESPN.
The NBA’s outreach to the agents of many of the league’s elite players — with hopes of getting stars to participate in PSAs to promote the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine — has been met with a tepid response, sources said. Player apprehension about receiving the vaccine are consistent with those that also exist in Black communities throughout the country, agents and players told ESPN.
Sources describe a number of factors contributing to many players’ reluctance to participate, including uncertainty about taking the vaccine themselves, reluctance to advocate its use for others and resistance to extending favors to a league amid the largely unpopular plans for an All-Star Game.
Flip the page for Adam Silver speaking on COVID vaccine.