- Unvaccinated
NBA players in New York City and San Francisco won't be paid for missed games, ESPN reported. - Both cities have
COVID-19 vaccination requirements for entrance into stadiums. - The NBA has said more than 90% of players have gotten vaccinated.
The NBA said it won't pay unvaccinated players for games they miss because of COVID-19 protocols in cities like New York and San Francisco, ESPN reported.
"Any player who elects not to comply with local vaccination mandates will not be paid for games that he misses," Mike Bass, the NBA's executive vice president of communications, told ESPN in a statement on Wednesday.
Players are not allowed in New York's Barclays Center without at least one COVID-19 shot and players must be fully vaccinated to enter San Francisco's Chase Center, ESPN reported.
ESPN reported that the protocols apply to players that who play for teams based in those cities, like the Brooklyn Nets and Golden State Warriors.
Nets player Kyrie Irving declined to reveal his vaccination status after missing a media day on Monday in New York City due to the COVID-19 restrictions.
ABC News reported that Warriors player Andrew Wiggins said his vaccination status was "private" last week and that his "back is definitely against the wall."
"I'm just going to keep fighting for what I believe," Wiggins said. "I'm going to keep fighting for what I believe is right. What's right to one person isn't right to the other and vice versa."
ABC News said the NBA refused Wiggins' request for a religious exemption from the vaccine and said he won't be able to play in home games until he meets the city's vaccine requirements.
More than 90% of NBA players are vaccinated. NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has called for those still unvaccinated to be disciplined.
The NBA has also set other rules for unvaccinated players, according to a memo obtained by the Associated Press last week.
Unvaccinated players won't be able to eat in the same room as vaccinated staff and teammates, will have lockers as far away as possible from vaccinated players, will have to stay six feet away from other attendees at meetings, and they'll have to "remain at their residence when in their home market," the AP reported.
According to the memo, they will also have to remain at hotels when they're traveling and won't be permitted to go to "high risk" settings like bars and restaurants.
Insider has sent an email request for comment to the NBA.