Getty The home arena of the Golden State Warriors, the Chase Center, in March 2020.
In accordance with area regulations, the Golden State Warriors will be taking a significant step in the upcoming season to combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Sources: Unvaccinated NBA players in markets with local requirements — such as NYC (Knicks, Nets) and SF (Warriors) — will not be allowed to enter home arenas or facilities for games or team activities conducted there unless there’s approved medical or religious exemption.
“Sources: Unvaccinated NBA players in markets with local requirements — such as NYC (Knicks, Nets) and SF (Warriors) — will not be allowed to enter home arenas or facilities for games or team activities conducted there unless there’s approved medical or religious exemption,” senior NBA insider Shams Charania tweeted on Wednesday.
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“This follows local governmental policies, meaning unvaccinated players on the Nets, Knicks and Warriors are not allowed to play in home games,” Charania added. “Visiting players are exempt from the vaccination requirements in NYC and SF.”
This is a huge announcement, and the issue of player’s vaccination statuses will surely be a hot topic as NBA training camp commences in less than one month, and the regular season tips off in October.
According to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson, the Bay Area made sweeping announcements regarding pandemic-based regulations in mid-August.
“On Aug. 12, San Francisco mandated an order that went into effect beginning at midnight on Aug. 20 that indoor events with more than 1,000 attendees are required to show proof of full vaccination to enter a venue, unless they have a medical or religious exemption,” Johnson wrote. “This of course could play a vital role in the Warriors’ roster decisions throughout the season.”
What Else Will Be Different About the 2021-2022 NBA Season?
GettyGolden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry during a game in 2019.
Although the NBA has decided to return to a “normal” schedule for the upcoming campaign and will bring back other pre-pandemic sights, there are more changes coming aside from the vaccination requirements.
Sources: The NBA will return to normal team bench seating for the 2021-22 season, with teams no longer requiring cool down/timeout chairs or assigned seats. Game day personnel are currently expected to be required to wear facemasks at start of season.
Golden State’s first home game of the regular season is slated for 7 p.m. PT on October 21 against the Los Angeles Clippers.
How Do the NBA Rules Compare With the NFL’s?
GettyLevi’s Stadium on the opening day of a mass COVID-19 vaccination site on February 09, 2021 in Santa Clara, California. The Santa Clara County Department of Health is overseeing the mass vaccination site at Levi’s Stadium, the home of the San Francisco 49ers football team.
With the entire NFL calendar typically just ahead of where the NBA schedule runs, football fans have already grown accustomed to tracking the vaccination status of players on their favorite team, reading about outbreaks on certain rosters, and hearing of athletes’ horror stories of their personal experience with the deadly virus.
Despite the flurry of NFL rules established in order to try to limit the spread of COVID-19 within the community, Wednesday’s announcement in the NBA may even take things to another level.
In response to one of Charania’s tweets announcing the vaccination requirements for players with the Warriors, New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets, senior NFL reporter Albert Breer wrote “Wow. So this is even stronger than the NFL’s rules.”
Though the only three basketball teams that Charania mentioned on Wednesday were the Dubs, Knicks and Nets, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see other organizations take serious steps like this before the season kicks off in less than two months.
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