Knicks and Nets will need COVID-19 vaccine to play at home

The NBA sent a memo to its teams confirming that it will follow local vaccination regulations, so unvaccinated New York (and San Francisco) players will not be able to play at home. This could potentially be a big loss for the Nets and Knicks, if they have anti-vaxxers among them.

The news was first reported by The Athletic and confirmed by The Post.

The league memo is due out to players by Friday and the rules will go into effect on September 13. By then, all employees and fans attending indoor events in the city must have received at least one dose of the vaccine. The only exceptions are those that have approved medical or religious exemptions.

The Knicks open the season at home on October 20 against the Boston Celtics. Brooklyn’s home opener didn’t come until four days later against the Charlotte Hornets. This leaves plenty of time for all unvaccinated players to get their first dose. But if there is still reluctance by then, it could be a problem for the Nets and Knicks.

Neither team would say which players are not vaccinated, or even how many. The Knicks cited the HIPAA rules, while a Nets spokesperson declined to comment on the policy.

“We will continue to follow all government and league mandates,” a Knicks spokesperson said.

“I hope it doesn’t affect us,” a Brooklyn source said.

HIPAA regulations do not allow teams to disclose the individual health status of their players without the players’ permission. This last part is of course a warning. Several players have been vocal enough to have faced the coronavirus.

Brooklyn has been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus, both the borough and the team. Kevin Durant, James Harden and DeAndre Jordan all discussed testing positive for COVID-19, while Durant – who also had to serve a pair of contact tracing quarantines – urged people to take the vaccine on a recent podcast. Center Nic Claxton also tested positive.

Knicks goalie Alec Burks has confirmed he was vaccinated before his own positive COVID test.

“I don’t know how many got it, but I know a number have, and a number of our staff have it as well,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau told the end of last season. “So I think everyone, like the rest of the country, is where everyone is heading, and hopefully we can get back to normal at some point.”

At this point, the players are pretty much the only people involved in the league who don’t need to be vaccinated.

As agreed with the National Basketball Referees Association, all referees who officiate games next season must be fully immunized, unless they have an approved medical or religious exemption. As announced in an August 27 memo, any employee who is within 15 feet of any player, referee or team member should be vaccinated.

The Nets have a pop-up vaccination site Thursday in Industry City, where the HSS training center is located. The Barclays Center had previously announced a “special employee contest” with prizes of up to $ 25,000 for staff who will be vaccinated before the September 13 deadline.