The NBA reportedly will require all team and league personnel who attend the 2021 Draft Combine this June to be fully vaccinated, unless they have a medical or religious exemption, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. The requirement does not appear to apply to the draft prospects.
The 2021 NBA Draft Combine takes place the week of June 21 in Chicago. Last year, there was no single draft combine due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, teams interviewed prospects virtually and relied on video of on-court workouts.
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The league has not required vaccination for participation in any activities to this point. As vaccines became more available, the NBA announced relaxed health and safety protocols for fully vaccinated players, coaches and staff, including less frequent testing and no contact tracing if they interacted with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. Teams that had 85% of their personnel vaccinated were not required to wear face masks at their practice facility and could have visitors on road trips, among other benefits.
Another recent change is that head coaches who are fully vaccinated do not have to wear masks during games in the playoffs.
The NBA, following the CDC's definition, considers a person to be fully vaccinated two weeks after their last dose of the vaccine.