Inside The Huskies

Thybulle Can't Play in Toronto, Possibly Over Vaccination Status

The former University of Washington player could have the same situation arise in the playoffs.
Dan Raley|
Thybulle Can't Play in Toronto, Possibly Over Vaccination Status
Thybulle Can't Play in Toronto, Possibly Over Vaccination Status

Matisse Thybulle has been listed as "ineligible to play" by the Philadelphia 76ers for Thursday night's game at Toronto, which could mean the former University of Washington basketball player is not vaccinated — a Canadian requirement for visitors to enter the country. 

Thybulle, 25, is a starting guard for the 76ers and considered one of the league's top perimeter defenders. He averages 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.1 steals per game.

While Philly could stand to go without Thybulle for the coming game, the situation could become much more problematic down the line. 

The Sixers currently are the fourth seed in the East and would play the Raptors in the first round of the playoffs if the season ended today. If Thybulle is unvaccinated, he wouldn't be able to play in Games 3, 4 and 6, all in Canada, leaving the team without his services. 

Philadelphia officials have declined to confirm whether the NBA team is fully vaccinated. 

Thybulle previously was placed into health and safety protocols twice this season. He expressed his frustration over the league's COVID-19 policies after being forced to sit out in January due to inconclusive test results.

“Very frustrating,” Thybulle said. “Especially just as the rule changes come and go at a whim, it feels like it gets confusing. Like I said, a recently recovered player to get tested so soon and then the concern would be false positives and then like to draw positives and inconclusive and have to sit down for almost a week is a little frustrating.”

On Wednesday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said no changes were forthcoming for unvaccinated players being unable to play in Toronto, adding that the league has no choice but to operate under Canada's laws.

"There are Canadian issues that we have to comply with," Silver said in New York. "Those rules are well known to all players, and for any player who chooses not to get vaccinated, they know they are at risk of not being allowed to play in Toronto. That's the facts that we're all going to have to operate under."

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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