Magic Johnson On Unvaccinated Players: ‘I’d Never Do That To My Teammates’

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Los Angeles Lakers fable Magic Johnson Monday addressed the concern surrounding NBA players who person refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

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In an interrogation with CBS News, Johnson said that players who spell unvaccinated are “letting down” their teammates.

“You person said to your teammates, ‘I’m gonna beryllium determination for you,’” Johnson said. “Well you can’t beryllium determination if you don’t get vaccinated. You letting them down. And past that hurts our chances of winning a championship. I would ne'er bash that to my teammates. Never.”

The astir high-profile lawsuit involves Brooklyn Nets prima Kyrie Irving. New York City has mandated that players for location teams beryllium vaccinated to play. The Nets announced past week that Irving volition not beryllium capable to articulation the squad until helium is afloat vaccinated.

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Magic Johnson has been vocal astir getting the vaccine. He was publically vaccinated backmost successful March astatine USC. “I got my 2 shots and made definite I enactment it retired connected societal media,” Johnson said. “I wanted, particularly my assemblage to know, archetypal of all, it’s safe. And the players, again, radical perceive to them, they travel them. That’s precise important.”

The full Lakers franchise is purportedly afloat vaccinated.

Lakers superstar LeBron James astatine the commencement of grooming campy precocious past period confirmed that helium has been vaccinated. In March, James said that his determination regarding whether oregon not to get vaccinated was a backstage one.

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That soundlessness prompted disapproval from different Lakers legend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who penned an essay connected the taxable earlier this month, successful which helium wrote, “LeBron is conscionable plain wrong—and his being incorrect could beryllium deadly, particularly to the Black community.”