Some members of the New Orleans Pelicans organization received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the team said Sunday.
Those vaccinated include an unspecified number of players, ESPN reported.
Some Pelicans players and staff members became eligible for the vaccine this week after Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said anyone age 16 or older could be vaccinated if they had a health condition that could put them at higher risks from the virus.
Guard Sindarius Thornwell tweeted Friday night that he planned to be vaccinated on Saturday.
“I’m getting the vaccine shot tomorrow… ya boy kinda nervous,” he wrote.
While the NBA is not mandating players get vaccinated, the team said it is behind the cause.
“The Pelicans support the state’s vital efforts to encourage everyone to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, as large-scale vaccination of our community is the best way to keep everyone safe and to end the COVID-19 pandemic,” the Pelicans said in their statement.
ESPN said that most of the eligible Pelicans players received the vaccine but not all did.
The Pelicans players could be the first in the NBA to have been vaccinated. In a news conference before the All-Star Game on March 6, commissioner Adam Silver said that while he was aware of some coaches being vaccinated, he knew of no players who had been.