"Everyone has their own choice" - Lebron on being vaccinated

Lakers star Lebron James told reporters on Media Day that he got the Covid 19 vaccine after doing his own research. He said that he made the personal choice to get the vaccine because it was the right thing for him and his friends and family.

Though the NBA is not requiring players to be vaccinated, the Lakers organization is expecting the whole team to get the vaccine by the start of the regular season in October.

"The ultimate goal is to obviously win a championship," said Lebron, "and it starts with, obviously, health as the number one thing. We're excited to know that we've given ourselves another opportunity to be available to each other, and that's what it came down to."

Lebron's teammate Anthony Davis said the focus is on "making sure that our organization is doing everything we can to help the world, help the community and do our part."

Not everyone has been so willing to get vaccinated though, and Lebron himself admitted to being skeptical at first. Kent Bazemore said he felt like the vaccine was forced on him at first. But he said the Lakers did a good job of listening to the concerns of the players and letting them decide on their own.

Despite the decision to get the vaccine, Lebron James remained adamant that he does not advocate for it for everyone. He said that it is a personal choice and that everyone can choose what they feel is right for themselves and their families.

Ultimately, the players seemed to have decided that it is worth it to get the vaccine so that they will be completely healthy and maybe even have a leg up on those teams who aren't fully vaccinated still.

"Obviously, you want to be able to not be compromised in any way with an extended absence or quarantines or exposure to quarantines," Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. "They were costly last year to our group. Not every team in the league this year has that luxury, but we do." He also expressed his pride in the players for committing to the vaccine after educating themselves about it and having those conversations amongst them.