NBA Rejects Andrew Wiggins' Request for COVID Vaccine Exemption, Leaving Him Ineligible to Play Home Games

The NBA has denied the request of Golden State Warriors star Andrew Wiggins for a vaccination exemption, leaving him ineligible to play home games for the San Francisco team.

The Warriors swingman needed to meet San Francisco's vaccination requirement in order to play in their arena. The ruling by the league was announced Friday.

NBA's Denial of Vaccination Exemption Request

Hours prior to the NBA ruling, the New York Knicks announced that their entire roster is already vaccinated, allowing all of their players to participate and play during their home games.

Due to the local coronavirus regulations in New York and San Francisco, NBA players from the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, and Golden State Warriors are required to be vaccinated so they can play in their home arenas unless they are granted a medical or religious exemption.

According to NBA.com, Andrew Wiggins sought an exemption for vaccination for religious reasons. However, the NBA has reviewed the request of the Golden State Warriors forward but denied it. The league based it on the order of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, which required COVID-19 vaccination for all participants age 12 and older of any large indoor events.

The league emphasized in their statement that Andrew Wiggins would not be able to play in Warriors home games until he met the city's requirements regarding COVID-19 vaccination.

There is a chance that unvaccinated players would be allowed to play this season, but the NBA stated that they would be having daily tests on practice and travel days at least once and more during game days. Fully vaccinated players will not be subject to daily testing.

Knicks, Nets,Warriors Struggle With COVID-19 Vaccination

The Knicks, Nets, and Warriors faced stricter rules because of the local regulations, but the NBA clarified that the regulations do not apply to the clubs visiting them.

After meeting the mandate, Knicks general manager Scott Perry on Friday praised the team effort.

Perry said he was so proud to say that their whole organization, from players to coaches and staff, was 100 percent vaccinated.

On the other hand, the Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks acknowledged that a couple of Brooklyn players are still not vaccinated.

However, Marks expressed confidence that everyone would be allowed to participate in the games by the time the Nets training camp returns to New York.

Meanwhile, Andrew Wiggins still has the time to comply in the implemented order due to the fact that the San Francisco mandate does not take effect until the middle of next month. NBA training camps would open on Tuesday.

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Written by: Jess Smith

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