National Basketball Association

Kyrie Irving, Bradley Beal tackle topic of COVID-19 vaccines as NBA camps begin

Updated Sep. 27, 2021 9:25 p.m. ET

Don't look now, but the NBA season is quickly approaching.

The first sign that it's almost basketball season arrived Monday, with the beginning of NBA media days around the league.

One of the key talking points across the league Monday was the vaccination status of various players.

While the NBA will not require the COVID-19 vaccine for players this season, there will be heavier restrictions, including laws in New York and San Francisco that could prevent unvaccinated players from taking the court in those cities.

The New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and Golden State Warriors will follow their local governments' guidelines, which has, in turn, placed scrutiny on Nets guard Kyrie Irving.

Yaron Weitzman of FOX Sports reported last week that Irving is not vaccinated, and that was confirmed by an article in Rolling Stone.

While Irving wasn't present at media day due to health and safety protocols, he did speak to reporters through a Zoom call and answered vaguely on whether he would be vaccinated in time for the beginning of the season.

The Nets are scheduled to open their season Oct. 19 against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Irving wasn't the only player to speak out about the vaccine and the potential consequences of not being vaccinated this coming season.

Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins is facing the same reality as Irving, as he could be kept out of home games due to being unvaccinated. He addressed the matter, citing how it's "his business," and he has received support from his teammates.

The Warriors are set to open their season Oct. 19 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Washington Wizards' All-NBA guard Bradley Beal also revealed at his team's media day that he is not currently vaccinated.

Beal had to miss the Olympics this summer after testing positive for COVID-19 during Team USA's training camp in Las Vegas.

While a handful of prominent players spoke out about their right to be unvaccinated, there were others who spoke about the importance of vaccination.

Portland Trail Blazers All-Star Damian Lillard and Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant both revealed that they were fully vaccinated, not only for their own health but for their loved ones as well.

While vaccination was the major topic across NBA media days, there were some light-hearted moments as well.

One of them came at the Nets media day, when Kevin Durant was trolled by David Letterman.

Letterman asked Durant about his nickname, "KD," as well as his availability to play for the Knicks during his off days.

There was also news on the injury front, as New Orleans Pelicans president of basketball operations David Griffin revealed that All-Star forward Zion Williamson had surgery to repair a fractured right foot this offseason.

While Williamson is expected to be ready for the start of the season, this marks the second surgery for the young star since he was drafted in 2019. He suffered a torn meniscus during training camp of his rookie season, and the subsequent surgery kept him sidelined until January 2020.

Training camps are only just beginning, and there has already been a lot of news around the NBA, which seems to set the tone for an eventful season.

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