What Does the NBA Commissioner Think About New York’s Vax Mandate?

Adam Silver has, by-and-large, set the standard for how to operate as the commissioner of a professional sports league.

From the generation of revenue, to progressive responses to social issues, to engagement with the fanbase, the NBA has seen an impressive amount growth and development under Adam Silver. Silver speaks softly, but isn't afraid to "carry a big stick" in the wise words of Theodore Roosevelt, and every now and then, something will cause him to speak out on behalf of his league.

This time around, the issue at hand is New York City's vaccine mandate, and the commissioner commented on the rule earlier today.

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Watch Adam Silver's Comments on the NYC Vaccine Mandate

NBA commissioner Adam Silver joined ESPN's Get Up today, and spoke with Mike Greenberg about a number of issues and topics surrounding the NBA. One of those topics was New York City's vaccine mandate, and its impact on the upcoming NBA playoffs.

The conversation begins around the 2:39 mark here:

Adam Silver doesn't often show a great deal of emotion, so, for him to admit that something "doesn't make much sense" on television, that is quite the statement for the leader of the NBA.

The Latest on Mandates Facing New York, and NYC

Luckily, the state of New York has seen a bit of relaxation in the area of COVID-related mandates. Mask mandates were dropped for local businesses last Thursday, and sources are saying that a similar decision may impact schools next month. The expected rise in COVID-19 cases around the holidays came, and went, and citizens in New York are beginning to return to a sense of normalcy.

Down in New York City, however, the vaccine mandate continues to impact workers across the city, not just famous basketball players. NYC Mayor Eric Adams announced earlier this week that nearly 1,400 employees had been given notices of termination following their failure to comply with the vaccine mandate by last Friday.

While an estimated 370,000 employees kept their jobs, 1,400 workers did not, and that is a terrible situation for the Empire State to find itself. Hopefully, Silver's plea for the vaccine mandate to be revisited will be heard by the city, and will happen soon.