An NBA legend has urged teams to axe unvaccinated players "who are willing to risk the health and lives of their team-mates".
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a six-time NBA champion, has responded to a damning report by Rolling Stone that outlined the 'anti-vax' stance held by a high number of league players, and also detailed accusations of various conspiracy theories in team dressing rooms.
Under current NBA rules, players don't not have to be vaccinated against Covid-19 but in contrary, referees are required to be fully vaccinated to officiate matches.
According to hall of famer Abdul-Jabbar, those guidelines have to change.
"The NBA should insist that all players and staff are vaccinated or remove them from the team," he told Rolling Stone .
"There is no room for players who are willing to risk the health and lives of their team-mates, the staff and the fans simply because they are unable to grasp the seriousness of the situation or do the necessary research."
Abdul-Jabbar, 74, reiterated his views on Don Lemon Tonight on Monday. "I don't think that they are behaving like good team-mates or good citizens," he said, of unvaccinated players.
"This is a war that we're involved in. And masks and vaccines - they are the weapons that we use to fight this war."
The NBA, however, said that teams are not obligated to pay players for games missed due to a lack of vaccination. That ruling could see the likes of Brooklyn Nets' Kyrie Irving, who has publicly opposed the vaccine, suffer huge losses given he is on a four-year, $136million deal.
Should it be mandatory for NBA players to be vaccinated in order to play? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
Speaking in March NBA commissioner Adam Silver was optimistic that "most players" would take the vaccine. However, the NBA players' union, unlike the referees' union, did not agree to mandated vaccination ahead of the 2021-22 season.
By contrast the WNBA, who also did not agree to mandatory vaccines, achieved 99% player vaccination by June.
The issue around player vaccination in the NBA was further thrown into chaos in August by the cities of New York and San Francisco.
They ruled that NBA players on home teams must be vaccinated or would be refused entry into arenas, directly impacting the Knicks, Nets and Golden State Warriors.
Entry to the Warriors' Chase Center requires double vaccination whereas Knicks and Nets players are required to have at least one jab to be eligible.
