Complications over vaccinated basketballers isn't restricted to the Australian NBL, with Kiwi Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks also trying to ensure his team meet local COVID-19 guidelines before the NBA season begins next month.
Marks reveals some of his players are currently ineligible to practice, because they don't meet New York City's vaccine mandate.
That mandate stipulates anyone aged 12 or over entering an athletic facility - such as the Nets' Barclay Center home arena - must prove they've received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccination.
"Regarding if they could play today, I can't comment on who could play and so forth," Marks says. "There would obviously be a couple of people missing from that picture.
"I won't get into who it is, but we feel confident, in the following several days before camp, everybody would be allowed to participate and so forth."
Earlier this week, NZ Breakers released star point guard Tai Webster over his refusal to be vaccinated, while Illawarra Hawks also cut American import Travis Trice for his anti-vax stance.
The state of Victoria - where two NBL teams are based - has enforced a strict entry policy of double-vaccinated people only.
The Nets begin their training camp at San Diego next week, before their opening pre-season fixture at Brooklyn on October 9. Their NBA season starts October 25, when they host Charlotte Hornets.
The NBA has yet to officially announce any league rules regarding vaccination requirements, subject to ongoing talks with its players association.
According to reports, players will not be required to vaccinate, but must adhere to regional restrictions in place at New York and San Francisco, which has the same mandate.
While he can't elaborate on the players involved, Marks stresses his franchise is fully committed to adhering to both regional and league vaccination protocols, and believes they won't have any impact on its ability to field a team for the season tip-off.
"I think we all understand what's at stake and we've had very candid conversations," Marks says. "Those are individual decisions... it's obviously out of our control.
"We are supporting getting the vaccination and putting out a healthy squad. At this point, I think we're ready to go into the season, we don't see these - whether it's a city-wide mandate or a league mandate to follow - being any sort of hindrance to us putting out a team."
Over the past two years, Marks' shrewd recruiting has made him one of the league's most highly regarded general managers. He continued that trend during the off-season, strengthening his roster with the addition of veteran Aussie guard Patty Mills, as well as former All-Star forwards LaMarcus Aldridge and Paul Millsap.
The Nets are currently the bookies' favourites to win the 2021/22 NBA championship, with their superstar trio of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving expected to be fully fit to start the season.
Both Irving and Harden were forced out of this year's Eastern Conference Championship series against eventual champions Milwaukee Bucks by injury, as the team suffered a heartbreaking overtime loss in the series-deciding Game Seven.
"Our goal is to be the last team standing," Marks says. "There's probably, my guess, six, eight, 10 teams that have that same similar goal and a realistic one.
"For us, it's about owning that and not shying away from it, and doing everything we possibly can putting people into place - whether it's staff members, players, rounding out the roster - in order to try and accomplish that."
