Draymond Green’s ‘embarrassing’ remarks on Covid-19 vaccine

Two of America’s most popular athletes are copping a tsunami of backlash for “embarrassing” remarks on the Covid-19 vaccine.

Perhaps these basketball players should let the professionals provide health advice.

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green and NBA legend LeBron James have come under fire following “embarrassing” comments about the Covid-19 vaccine.

Speaking to media on Thursday, Green said he would not push Golden State teammate Andrew Wiggins to get vaccinated. Last month, the NBA denied Wiggins’ request for an exemption from the vaccine on religious grounds.

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Approximately 95 per cent of the NBA’s players have already received their first jab, according to several reports.

In a bizarre rant, Green compared the Covid-19 vaccine to a hypothetical involving Wiggins’ wife entering labour and the polio vaccine.

The 31-year-old claimed that pressuring people to get the Covid-19 jab “goes against everything America stands for”.

He also said a “political war” was forming between those who are vaccinated and those who are not.

“That would be like Andrew – who everyone knows recently just had a kid maybe five months or so ago now – that would be like me telling him, ‘Yo, your wife is going into labour. How dare you leave this team and not go tend to your wife?’” Green said.

“That’s something that’s personal to him. That’s something that’s health-related. That’s something that’s personal to his family. This is no different.

“We’re dealing with something that to me feels like has turned into a political war when you’re talking about vaccinated (people) and non-vaccinated (people). I think it’s become very political.

“And for someone who‘s not extremely into politics, when you make something so political and not everyone is into politics, then you can also turn those people off.

Draymond Green represented Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics. Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images

“You say we live in the land of the free – well, you’re not giving anyone freedom because you’re making people do something essentially without making them, you’re making them do something. And that goes against everything America stands for, supposedly stands for.

“I‘m not in any position to tell him what he should or should not be doing … No, you do what you feel.

“I’m not going to go and ask him did he get a polio vaccine? So why would I go ask him if he got a Covid vaccine?”

Green seems oblivious to the fact he has no reason to ask Wiggins about polio because a vaccine has wiped out the disease from most of the world.

“I think there is something to be said for people‘s concern about something that’s being pressed so hard,” Green added.

“Like, why are you pressing this so hard? You’re pressing and pressing and pressing.”

The reason politicians are “pressing” Americans to get vaccinated is probably that there have been more than 680,000 Covid-19 related deaths in the United States.

It has been estimated that those who are not fully vaccinated are 57 times more likely to die from Covid-19.

James shared a clip of Green’s strange rant to Twitter and captioned the post: “Couldn’t have said it any better.”

Inevitably, Green and James copped a tsunami of backlash for spreading scepticism and empowering misinformation campaigns that have extended the Covid-19 pandemic.

I do want to THANK Draymond Green for reminding us that he's very stupid. Like hall of fame first ballot stupid. https://t.co/TQv7ytFmIv

— Jay Jurden Is Part Of The Problem (@JayJurden) October 1, 2021

I’d like to thank Draymond Green and LeBron James for not realizing that their words about vaccination will power a month’s worth of misinformation campaigns in places like Idaho that will cost people’s lives while extending this pandemic for months.

— Mychal (@My_Lo) October 1, 2021

Nearly 5 million people dead worldwide, economies brought to their knees, life as we know it up ended, millions of people still at risk for severe illness and death. And Draymond Green asks “Why are you pressing so hard?” for people to get the vaccine. Just embarrassing

— Josh Schrock (@Schrock_And_Awe) September 30, 2021

Originally published as Draymond Green’s ‘embarrassing’ remarks on Covid-19 vaccine