The Philadelphia 76ers will be without Matisse Thybulle once they play the Raptors in Toronto in the first-round.
The Philadelphia 76ers clinched the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, meaning they will take on the No. 5 Toronto Raptors in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. But, once the 76ers take on the Raptors in Toronto for Games 3 and 4, they will be without one of their key defensive players.
Earlier on Sunday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Matisse Thybulle will be ineligible for Games 3 and 4 due to Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
Head coach Doc Rivers confirmed the report.
Note for Philadelphia (4) vs. Toronto (5) series: 76ers All-Defensive wing Matisse Thybulle is currently ineligible for games in Toronto due to Canada's vaccine mandate.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 11, 2022
76ers: Matisse Thybulle ineligible for road games vs. Raptors in first round
Thybulle told reporters on Sunday that he is not fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The third-year player said that he did get one dose of the vaccine, but decided against getting further doses and would pursue holistic treatments instead.
You can read Thybulle’s full answer in the tweet below, courtesy of Kyle Neubeck of the Philly Voice:
Thybulle's opening answer tonight on why he is not fully vaccinated stems from his upbringing.
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) April 11, 2022
"I was raised in a holistic household, where anti-vax is not like a term that was ever used, it's a weird term that has been kind of thrown around to just label people."
Full quote: pic.twitter.com/2zwNaLTOcZ
To enter Canada, a traveler needs to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. To be considered fully vaccinated, an individual has to receive at least two accepted doses of the vaccine or at least one dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, per the government’s website.
Through 65 games this season, Thybulle is averaging 5.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.1 blocks while shooting 49.7 percent from the field.
The 76ers’ playoff schedule has yet to be revealed as of this writing.