Warriors: Andrew Wiggins doesn’t plan on getting COVID-19 vaccine ‘anytime soon’
In an NBA season that continues to be plagued by injury, Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins says he isn’t in a rush to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
This NBA season has been strange, to say the least. Injuries have swept across the league and have stifled some of the game’s biggest superstars temporarily including LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and now LaMelo Ball for the rest of the season.
Before the injury bug bit it was the COVID-19 one. Several teams had games postponed or canceled to do health and safety protocols. This year’s All-Star game was held in Atlanta, Georgia, a city that I know first hand never really slowed down due to COVID like the rest of the country may have. Players including LeBron, James Harden, and reigning MVP Giannis Antentekoumpo were all vocal about their displeasure with the NBA for deciding to host the events. Embiid and Ben Simmons even had to miss the game because of contact tracing.
A report surfaced early this season that some of the players were hesitant to receive the vaccine. Now, Golden State Warriors player Andrew Wiggins is expressing his hesitance with the health and safety protocols as well.
Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins is reluctant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine
Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area is reporting that Andrew Wiggins is in no rush to be vaccinated.
Andrew Wiggins on the COVID vaccines: ‘I don’t really see myself getting it any time soon, unless I’m forced to.’
— Monte Poole (@MontePooleNBCS) March 23, 2021
While the young star didn’t go much deeper into his reasoning behind not wanting the vaccine, there a few things to consider. Black people in America have long been skeptics of the American healthcare and medical systems and rightfully so. While Wiggins didn’t flat out express this being a reason, one can assume it crossed his mind.
Still, for this country to get headed in the right direction people will simply need to be vaccinated and ideally as soon as possible. We have to hope that with the proper education on the topic, Wiggins can come to an informed decision about his own health and safety as well as the health and safety of those around him, including the other players in the league.