National Basketball Association

NBA announces it will not pay unvaccinated players who miss games

Updated Sep. 29, 2021 5:23 p.m. ET

If you're not playing, the NBA isn't paying.

The league announced Wednesday that players who fail to get vaccinated against COVID-19 will not receive paid time off for games they subsequently have to miss.

As of now, the NBA cannot require its players to be vaccinated. As NBA spokesman Mike Bass said, "A vaccine mandate for NBA players would need an agreement with the Players Association. The NBA has made these proposals, but the players’ union has rejected any vaccination requirement."

However, local governments can require vaccination for participation in games or entry into stadiums, and in addition to not paying players for missed games, the NBA has enacted stipulations to encourage athletes to get vaccinated.

Fully vaccinated players won't have to undergo regular testing and will be allowed to sit together in the locker room, during team meals and while traveling, according to the league's policy.

Unvaccinated players will be subject to testing on any day that involves basketball activities or travel and can be tested multiple times on game days. Those players must quarantine if they come into close contact with someone who tests positive for the virus.

The NBA currently reports that 90% of its players are vaccinated.

The NBA's COVID controversy dates to the arrival of the virus on U.S. soil nearly two years ago.

Uncertainty swept through the sports world as several professional organizations abruptly halted competition in March 2020, and the NBA became the first league to resume a semblance of normalcy with its innovative "bubble" execution later that year.

It was a move that worked to near perfection, returning zero positive tests (though some players were forced to leave for breaking protocol) at an all-inclusive resort featuring protective measures and mask mandates.

The league returned to a traveling schedule for the 2020-21 season, keeping several restrictions in place and preventing fan access to stadiums as it moved through the campaign successfully.

But ahead of the 2021-22 season, a new controversy is rearing its head.

While many NBA frontmen, including LeBron James, Steph Curry and Chris Paul, have been vocal about their inclinations to get vaccinated, several others have vehemently stood against it.

Those players, including Kyrie Irving, Bradley Beal, Andrew Wiggins, Michael Porter Jr. and Jonathan Isaac, have cited varying reasons for not being vaccinated against COVID-19, from religious beliefs to personal preferences.

New York and San Francisco require vaccination for all players participating in physical activities, rendering players such as Irving and Wiggins unavailable as of now for their teams' home games.

This is a developing story.

For more up-to-date news on all things NBA, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!