Utah Jazz Roster Is 100-Percent Vaccinated
Sep 27, 2021, 11:06 AM | Updated: 4:49 pm
Rudy Gobert at Media Day (Photo: Ben Anderson/KSL Sports)
(Photo: Ben Anderson/KSL Sports)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz roster is fully vaccinated as the NBA prepares to enter a third season in the COVID-19 era.
During Monday’s annual media day, general manager Justin Zanik announced that the team had reached full vaccination before training camp is set to begin on Tuesday.
“We are 100 percent vaccinated,” Zanik said.
The @utahjazz are 100% vaccinated says Justin Zanik.
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) September 27, 2021
With high-profile names like Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving and Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins choosing not to get vaccinated ahead of the season, the Jazz enter the season with one fewer distraction ahead of playoff games.
“We’re still in the middle of a pandemic, so taking care of the things that we can control,” Zanik said. “There’s enough that we can’t control during an NBA season, so I’m happy to be able to say that.”
The Jazz were at the center of the COVID-19 pandemic in the NBA when All-Stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell were the first players in the league to test publically test positive in March of 2020.
Gobert said he wanted to take his time to gather information before he got the vaccine, but was happy to see the roster entering training camp with one fewer question to answer.
“It’s cool that we have the whole group [vaccinated] and that everyone is ready — making sure that we’re not making that a distraction for the team,” Gobert said.
The @utahjazz will require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for all home games this season. #TakeNote https://t.co/YuKBbzdNTa
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 24, 2021
While it will help the team stay healthy on the floor, Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson said he was excited to reconnect with teammates off the floor.
“Everybody has their own personal decisions,” Clarkson said, “but to have everybody ready — people still can get the virus, but to have everybody vaccinated, ready to play and be able to do team things, we’ve got new guys so it’s going to be nice to bring them all in and bond with them.”
Last week, the team announced that fans wanting to attend home games at Vivint Arena would have to show proof of their vaccination status or a negative COVID-19 test before entering the arena.
The Jazz open the regular season on October 20 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
