Jeff Van Gundy Rips Players Who Say 'I'm Doing My Own Research' on COVID-19 Vaccine

The COVID-19 vaccine has become a major point of discussion in the NBA with some notable players rejecting it for their own reasons. During Thursday night's broadcast of the Heat playing the Rockets, NBA commentator Jeff Van Gundy gave his opinion on what he thought was not the best explanation for players not getting vaccinated.

 "You know the one that drives me crazy? 'I'm doing my own research,' " Van Gundy said. "I would like someone to answer this question: What does that look like? You doing your own research. Are you doing studies yourself? Are you in the lab on a nightly basis? What are you doing? I don't understand what that means." 

The COVID-19 vaccine was authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the spring. The FDA later approved the first COVID-19 vaccine, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, in August. The vaccine has been widely approved and supported by medical professionals worldwide. 

"How about this? We got really smart people ... a lot smarter than anybody in the NBA, who's already done the research," Van Gundy continued. 

The NBA and players against the COVID-19 vaccine have reportedly been at odds with each other over COVID-19 protocols and getting 100% of players vaccinated, per a September Rolling Stone report. Magic guard Jonathan Isaac, Warriors wing Andrew Wiggins and Nets guard Kyrie Irving are some players who have been outspoken on the issue. 

New York and San Francisco are the only two cities that are requiring professional athletes to show proof of vaccination to play indoors. Wiggins's religious exemption to not have to get the vaccine was denied and he eventually was vaccinated. He said he was the only person in his family to get vaccinated and said it's "not really something we believe in as a family."

In the Rolling Stone report, Issac shared his distrust of the vaccine.

“At the end of the day, it’s people,” Isaac told Rolling Stone of the scientists developing vaccines, “and you can’t always put your trust completely in people.”

It was also reported that Irving started to like Instagram posts and follow an account that claims "secret societies" are implanting vaccines in a plot to connect Black people to a master computer for “a plan of Satan." Irving has yet to get vaccinated, and his status with the Nets this season is unclear.