As some players and teams around the league grapple with coronavirus vaccines and city legislation that could affect play, the Oklahoma City Thunder will be better able to manage their end.
General manager Sam Presti said on Friday that every player on the team is vaccinated.
Last season, the Thunder remained relatively healthy in regards to COVID-19. A couple games were postponed due to outbreaks of opposing teams, but none due to OKC cases or outbreaks.
Presti said that he recognizes there will be continued difficulties around the league with COVID-19 and the delta variant.
“The disruptions in my opinion are going to come by way of the fact that the NBA isn’t testing players or staff members,” he said. “Organizationally, we’re going to be surveillance testing our staff. We’re not going to be doing it every day, but we are going to be testing basketball staff so we try to avoid some outbreaks.”
The Thunder will require fans entering Paycom Center to either be vaccinated or show proof of a negative coronavirus test within 72 hours of the game.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that 90% of NBA players are fully vaccinated and that the percentage has risen in recent weeks as training camp approaches.
While the NBA does not mandate vaccines for players, some cities’ requirements would prevent unvaccinated athletes from playing. For instance, the San Francisco Department of Public Health ordered that anyone aged 12 and older must be vaccinated to attend large indoor gatherings.
