LeBron James won’t say if he received Covid vaccine

The Los Angeles Lakers star discussed the matter following game one in the NBA play-offs against the Phoenix Suns

Jack Rathborn
Tuesday 25 May 2021 08:58 EDT
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LeBron James refused to confirm if he had the vaccine or not
LeBron James refused to confirm if he had the vaccine or not (Getty)

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LeBron James has refused to confirm whether he has been vaccinated for Covid-19.

The Los Angeles Lakers star is currently starring in the NBA play-offs, with the reigning champions trailing 1-0 to the Phoenix Suns after Sunday’s 99-90 defeat.

Following the loss, James was quizzed on his thoughts surrounding the Covid-19 vaccine, insisting everything will revolve around his family’s health and safety.

“Anything I do on the floor is predicated to my family,” James said. “For the majority, 99 per cent of it, it's about the health and safety of my family and that's what it came down to, me being available to my teammates on the floor and taking care of my body.”

When pushed as to whether had been vaccinated, James paused before opting against confirming either way, saying: “It's not a big deal.”

James was not subject to quarantine following a promotional event attended two days before the Lakers’ play-in game against the Golden State Warriors on 20 May.

NBA Chief Communications Officer Mike Bass confirmed no penalty was necessary for James as he “did not create risks related to the spread of COVID-19” at the event that required guests to produce proof of vaccination or a return a negative Covid test result.

Bass said in a statament: “To clarify any remaining misconception, LeBron James briefly attended an outdoor event last week where participants were required to be vaccinated or return a negative test result.

“Under these circumstances and in consultation with medical experts, it was determined that his attendance did not create risks related to the spread of COVID-19 and therefore no quarantine was necessary.

“Over the course of this season, there have been numerous similar violations of the league’s Health and Safety Protocols, which were addressed with the players’ team in a similar fashion.

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