NBA Player Says He Felt 'Forced' Into Getting Covid-19 Vaccine

Andrew Wiggins reckons he was "forced" into getting vaccinated, confirming that he categorically did not want to get it.

The Golden State Warriors star has joined a handful of NBA players who have spoken out against the Covid-19 vaccine over the past year or so.

But now, with pressure mounting on players to get jabbed, Wiggins admits he is fully vaccinated ahead of the upcoming NBA season - although it was against his will, in his eyes.

"I feel like the only options were to get vaccinated or not play in the NBA," Wiggins said.

"It was a tough decision. Hopefully, it works out in the long run and in 10 years I'm still healthy."

With preseason already underway, there has been a push to get every player from all 30 teams vaccinated in order to comply with strict coronavirus regulations that differ from state-to-state.

In some areas, such as new New York and parts of California, players won't be able to play if they haven't had the shot.

So for Wiggins, now being fully vaccinated means he won't miss half the season.

"It feels good to play, but getting vaccinated is going to be something that stays in my mind the whole time," he added.

"It's not something I wanted to do, but I was kind of forced to."

PA

Asked if he had resentment towards the NBA, Wiggins replied: "Oh no, not towards the organisation. They didn't make the rules.

"I guess to do certain stuff, to work and all that, I guess you don't own your body. That's what it comes down to. You want to work in society today, then I guess they make the rules on what goes in your body and what you do.

"Hopefully there's a lot of people out there that are stronger than me and keep fighting and stand for what they believe and hopefully it works out for them."

A bunch of big-name stars have spoken publicly about the vaccine - some positively and some negatively.

LeBron James recently made headlines for confirming that he was vaccinated before admitting that it's "not my job" to encourage his peers to do the same.

In response, Boston Celtics star Enes Kanter slammed his rival, saying that he was "disappointed" in LeBron's "ridiculous" response.

Elsewhere, the likes of Kyrie Irving are still seemingly frozen out after making his stance on the vaccine crystal clear.

Topics: Basketball, NBA, vaccine, Australia, vaccination, Covid-19

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry