“Everyone has their own choice to do what they feel is right for themselves and their family and things of that nature,” James said during the Los Angeles Lakers media day in El Segundo, California. “I know that I was very skepticism (sic) about it all. But after doing my research and things of that nature, I felt like it was best suited for not only me but my family and my friends. That’s why I decided to do it.”
“It’s not a big deal,” James stammered, followed up by a chuckle.
James said Tuesday that while he is vaccinated, it wasn’t his place to impose that decision on others.
“We are talking about people’s bodies and well beings. I don’t feel like for me personally that I should get involved in what other people should do for their bodies and livelihoods. … You have to do what’s best for you and your family,” James said.
Some players are still skeptical about vaccines
The NBA does not require players to be vaccinated against Covid-19 to play. However, referees and other staff who work closely with players are required to be fully vaccinated.
Players from visiting teams who compete at the city’s arenas are not included in the local governments’ vaccination mandates.
CNN learned this week that the Knicks have fully vaccinated all their players, whereas the Nets and Warriors have yet to do so, or gain exemptions.
The NBA denied Golden State Warriors star Andrew Wiggins’ request to be exempt from the vaccine for religious reasons, making him ineligible to play home games until he reaches San Francisco’s vaccination requirement, the league announced on Friday.
Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving did not disclose his vaccination status Monday during the Nets media day. He also did not say if he expected to be vaccinated or compliant by the time the Nets return home following their preseason game against the Lakers on Sunday.
He said he wants “to keep that stuff private.”
“I’m a human being first,” Irving said. “Obviously living in this public sphere, it’s just a lot of questions about what’s going on in the world of Kyrie and I think I just would love to just keep that private and handle it the right way, with my team and go forward together with the plan.”
Isaac clarified his comments on Monday during a news conference saying he’s not anti-vax, anti-medicine or anti-science.
“This is a war that we’re involved in. And masks and vaccines — they are the weapons that we use to fight this war,” Abdul-Jabbar said.
CNN’s Christina Zdanowicz and Sana Noor Haq contributed to this report.