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NBA: Bradley Beal not getting vaccinated, cites ‘personal reasons’

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Field Level Media/Reuters

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Wizards guard Bradley Beal poses for a portrait during NBA Media Day on September 27, 2021 Geoff Burke, USA Today Sports/Reuters" src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/reuters/09/28/beal.jpg"/><figcaption>Wizards guard Bradley Beal poses for a portrait during NBA Media Day on September 27, 2021 <em>Geoff Burke, USA Today Sports/Reuters</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Washington Wizards three-time All-Star Bradley Beal on Monday cited &quot;personal reasons&quot; for not getting vaccinated against COVID-19, adding he hopes that his previous bout with the virus will protect him.</p><p>Beal made the comments during the Wizards&#x27; media day.</p><p>Beal contracted COVID-19 over the summer, preventing him from playing in the Tokyo Olympics. Beal declined to say why he would not get vaccinated.</p><p>&quot;Personal reasons,&quot; Beal said. &quot;I would like an explanation to ... people with the vaccines, &#x27;Why are they still getting COVID?&#x27; ... It doesn&#x27;t eliminate anybody from getting COVID, right?&quot; </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/09/28/21/nba-kyrie-wants-to-keep-vaccination-status-private">NBA: Kyrie Irving wants to keep vaccination status private</a></li></ul><p>Beal said he &quot;didn&#x27;t get sick at all&quot; during his bout with the virus over the summer.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/09/27/21/irving-could-skip-games-rather-than-get-covid-vaccine">NBA: Kyrie Irving could skip games rather than get COVID vaccine -- report</a></li></ul><p>&quot;I lost my smell, that&#x27;s it,&quot; Beal said, adding that he doesn&#x27;t feel pressure to get vaxxed.</p><p>&quot;I don&#x27;t think you can pressure anybody into making a decision about their body or what they put into their body,&quot; Beal said. &quot;You kind of let people come into their own about it. ... I talk it over with my family and we make a group decision that we feel is best for us, just like the rest of the world.&quot;</p><p>Beal said his parents as well as his brothers are vaccinated, saying he understands &quot;both sides of it.&quot; Including reactions to the vaccine itself.</p><p>&quot;Some people have bad reactions to the vaccine, nobody wants to talk about that. What happens if one of our players gets the vaccine and they can&#x27;t play after that? Or they have complications after that? Because there are cases like that.&quot;</p><p>Beal also addressed the report from The Athletic earlier in the day that Russell Westbrook tried to talk Beal into asking for a trade out of Washington together.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/16/21/tokyo-olympics-bradley-beal-health-protocols-ruled-out-for-team-usa">Tokyo Olympics: Bradley Beal (health protocols) ruled out for Team USA</a></li></ul><p>&quot;This happens every year. Players are going to talk,&quot; Beal said. &quot;I wasn&#x27;t in the same head space that he was out. We had great conversations leading up to it ... I&#x27;m happy for him.&quot;</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/16/21/nba-beal-off-us-olympic-team-australia-game-cancelled">NBA: Beal off US Olympic team, Australia game cancelled</a></li></ul><p>Beal averaged a career-high 31.3 points per game last season, earning his third All-Star appearance.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1783373" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

Beal, who contracted COVID-19 over the summer, preventing him from playing in the Tokyo Olympics, declined to say why he would not get vaccinated.