Lakers superstar LeBron James, who declined to say if he would be vaccinated against Covid-19, arguing that it was "in the private sphere", is now being criticized for not wanting to set an example with of the African-American community.
Asked Sunday, on the sidelines of the All-Star Game, on his willingness to be vaccinated or not when his turn comes, James replied: "This is a discussion that my family and I will have.
And I think it will probably remain in the private sphere ”.
The day before, while ensuring that he would not make vaccination compulsory for players, NBA boss Adam Silver had estimated that most would still choose to submit to it.
He also hoped that the league could continue to serve as an awareness platform.
The instance has already started this campaign, with ads involving some NBA icons like San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich (72), former Celtics glory Bill Russell (87) and Lakers' glory Kareem. Abdul-Jabbar (73), all three vaccinated.
Several players reluctant on the vaccine
But apprehension remains among the current stars, according to the director of the players' union (NBPA), Michele Roberts, who told
Yahoo Sports
that their responses as to whether to get the vaccine ranged from "No, I will. not ”to“ Why can't we do it sooner? ”.
James' teammate at the Lakers, Jared Dudley, told him on Twitter that healthy athletes were unlikely to rush "without enough research done beforehand."
James Harden (Brooklyn) and Donovan Mitchell (Utah) also said they were undecided.
This reluctance on the part of the players, three-quarters of whom are black in the NBA, reflects an even greater reluctance within the African-American community in the country.
One of the reasons is in the history of the United States itself, which has conducted several medical experiments on blacks, the most notorious being that of Tuskegee, Alabama, where, between 1932 and 1972, African Americans served as guinea pig unwittingly for studies of the effects of syphilis.
The reluctant African-American community?
Several voices are therefore calling on James to reconsider his position and show his support for the vaccine, given the deadly impact of Covid-19 in minority communities.
According to the American Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), African Americans are 1.4 times more likely to contract Covid-19, 3.7 times more likely to be hospitalized after infection, and 2 , 8 times more likely to die from it than the Caucasian population.
Stephen A. Smith, famous
ESPN
analyst
, recalled that James was an "incredibly influential figure".
“He has taken positions on many, many, many topics that are important to our community.
And if you've been able to express yourself on these topics, then maybe you should think about expressing yourself on this one.
Because he is who he is, and he knows who he is, now is not the time to keep it private. "
Abraar Karan, a doctor at the Harvard Medical School hospital, insisted on the "essential role that athletes like James could have".
“If they get the vaccine, it's important to think about the public message that goes with it.
They can take that leadership role and help people feel safe with the vaccine, ”he told TMZ.com.
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