LeBron James made headlines earlier this year when he chose to avoid answering questions regarding the COVID vaccine. James’ decision to not advocate for taking one of the vaccines designed to help stop the ongoing pandemic drew eyebrows, especially given he stated that he wished to keep his thoughts on the topic secret. Many people, including ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, have chastised James for this.
As the first batch of teams went through media day in the lead-up to the 2021-22 NBA season, vaccines — and, perhaps more appropriately, the trepidation that a number of players have about taking them — were a significant talking topic, James was inevitably asked if he received one. He chose to no longer stay anonymous, claiming that he conducted his homework and ultimately determined that receiving it was the best thing for him and his family.
James went on to say that he does not want to be a public advocate for the vaccine, and that he wants people to make their own choices.
Of course, James has enough clout that his saying he got the vaccine might be all the advocacy he needs to do to convince people to get it. As for the Lakers as a whole, Frank Vogel said on Tuesday that the team is on track to be 100 percent vaccinated by the time the season begins.
