Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)
(Picture: Getty Images)US Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) is facing the fire again after he said he stands with several NBA stars against the Covid-19 vaccine, including one who seemingly believes that the vaccines implant microchips into people in “a plan of Satan.”
On Wednesday, Cruz took to his personal Twitter account to tweet out a story from The Hill titled, “NBA struggles with vocal vaccine handouts,” which stated that “some of the league’s brightest stars are refusing to get the shot.”
I stand with Kyrie Irving.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 29, 2021
I stand with Andrew Wiggins.
I stand with Bradley Beal.
I stand with Jonathan Isaac.#NBA#YourBodyYourChoice https://t.co/kn74nwjVRV
Cruz also added that NBA icon LeBron James should announce that he could be “more courageous” if he said, “I stand w/ my fellow players. And I won’t play in any arena that bans another NBA player because they make a personal healthcare choice.”
3/x @KingJames is being courageous here.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 29, 2021
With his box-office power, he could be even more courageous—he could SOLVE the problem—by saying:
“I stand w/ my fellow players. And I won’t play in any arena that bans another NBA player because they make a personal healthcare choice.”
Naturally, Cruz was mocked and called out for his sentiments about the ordeal.
Hey @TedCruz..."Your body your choice"? Really? Seriously? Except when it's a woman choosing an abortion, right? Then it's "Your body MY choice". Despicable hypocrite... https://t.co/cmJ05iLr73
— Andy Ostroy (@AndyOstroy) September 30, 2021
IF* Ted Cruz stands with you, you should sit dwn. Someone tell these guys, Ted Cruz is vaccinated https://t.co/7MFI7ytZ9a
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) September 29, 2021
How about STANDING with TEXAS first!!! My house is still under construction from that damn ice storm! Carry the hell on... https://t.co/lHPcC8v9MV
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) September 29, 2021
if i woke up to a ted cruz co-sign i would personally call every single member of my family and apologize for embarrassing them. https://t.co/Rd4ylqFqk2
— rich hedberg 💰 (@NILES100) September 29, 2021
Cruz condemned Black athletes when countless took a knee, said Black Lives Matter, & or demanded accountability for police brutality.
— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) September 30, 2021
But a few Black athletes oppose a life saving vaccine—Cruz is all in b/c he thinks it helps him politically. Dangerous hypocrisy. https://t.co/bj7hDp0o4B
… so you stand with unvaxxed hoops players on “choice” but not with Texas women? Got it. https://t.co/wJ8pZ17aMQ
— Christine Pelosi (@sfpelosi) September 29, 2021
The Hill reported that Kylie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets (who also happens to be president of the National Basketball Players Association) hadn’t received the vaccine.
“Unless he is given an exemption or gets vaccinated, Irving could miss all of Brooklyn’s home games so long as New York City’s indoor vaccine mandate is in place, potentially costing the team wins and forfeiting millions of dollars,” the outlet said.
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Irving reportedly told reporters during a Zoom call to “please respect my privacy” on Monday.
According to The Rolling Stone, he allegedly liked Instagram posts from someone who believed vaccines put microchips into people as part of “a plan of Satan,” a conspiracy theory.
The Gainesville Sun also reported that Irving is a leader in the microchip theory, that said secret societies are “implanting vaccines in a plot to connect Black people to a master computer for ‘a plan of Satan.’”
Opting to not receive the vaccination isn’t a personal healthcare choice because it directly impacts the health and well-being of everyone you may encounter.
And on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, vaccines help protect us against severe disease and death from new variants of the virus that cause Covid-19.
