CLEVELAND — As the Golden State Warriors figure out Andrew Wiggins’ future, Cavs GM Koby Altman told reporters Monday he expects the club to be fully vaccinated in the coming weeks. 

What You Need To Know

  • Cavs GM Koby Altman expects the Cavs’ entire roster to be fully vaccinated within weeks

  • While the league has not said its mandating players to be vaccinated, some arenas are prohibiting those unvaccinated from entering

  • Local ordinances requiring player vaccinations could force some unvaccinated players to miss games this season

  • The Cavs’ regular season begins Oct. 20

While the NBA nor the Cavs have said they are officially requiring players to be fully vaccinated, several arenas around the league will require those who enter to be fully vaccinated due to local regulations. 

“I can confidently say that within a few weeks, we’ll have everybody fully vaccinated,” Altman said. “We’re really happy.” 

The NBA said last week that it denied Wiggins’ request for a religious exemption to the vaccine and he would be unable to participate in Warriors’ home games due to San Francisco’s vaccine requirement at mass gatherings. 

“The NBA has reviewed and denied Andrew Wiggins’ request for religious exemption from the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s order requiring COVID-19 vaccination for all participants age 12 and older at large indoor events,” the NBA said in a statement. “Wiggins will not be able to play in Warriors home games until he fulfills the city’s vaccination requirements.”

Although the City of Cleveland does not have blanket vaccine mandates, if any member of the Cavs is not fully vaccinated, that person would not be allowed to play in San Francisco or New York. There are also quarantine requirements that would likely keep unvaccinated players from playing in Toronto, where the Cavs are scheduled to visit on Nov. 5. 

With a fully vaccinated club, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff is hopeful for a return to normalcy. The Cavs had several games postponed in the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19 protocols. 

“It was one of the more difficult years,” Bickerstaff said. “There was a lot of pressure to make sure we continue to play games, to make sure we had structure and organized with all the COVID protocols and all those things. That was an added pressure than the pressure that comes with this game.”

Bickerstaff added that the team is looking forward to playing before full arenas again. 

Due to COVID-19, nearly one-third of all arenas were completely empty the entire season, according to ESPN. The Cavs were among the teams that allowed limited attendance in 2020-21. Over the course of 22 home games, the Cavs averaged 2,292 fans per game. The year before, the Cavs had an average of 17,816 fans per game, according to ESPN. 

Related Stories