NICK GEDDESDecember 7, 2021
-Outkick
The Athletic’s Shams Charania is reporting that any NBA player who is not fully vaccinated cannot enter Canada to play games in Toronto.
The new mandate will go into effect on Jan. 15. Per Charania, if a player can’t show proof of full vaccination and misses a game in Toronto, he will be subject to reduced pay. He may also be subject to fines and suspensions.
Sources: Beginning Jan. 15, any NBA player who is not fully vaccinated will be unable to enter Canada to play games in Toronto. Canadian government will require all individuals entering Canada to be fully vaccinated.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 7, 2021
As OutKick’s Meg Turner relayed, Canada Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said on Nov. 19 that the mandatory vaccine mandate would be coming in January. The NBA, however, is the first known league to implement disciplinary action on players who are not fully vaccinated.
The NBA reported before the season that 95% of its players are fully vaccinated, meaning just a small percentage are not. Among the notable known unvaccinated players are the Nets’ Kyrie Irving, the Wizards’ Bradley Beal and the Magic’s Jonathan Isaac.
Irving has yet to play a game this season as he isn’t allowed to play in home games in New York due to the state’s vaccine mandate.
While the NBA’s only team in Canada is the Raptors, the NHL has seven Canadian teams. There is currently no indication of what the NHL plans to do.
