Canada Takes Extreme Measures to Protect Drake, Prohibits Unvaccinated NBA Players From Playing or Traveling

Ever since Canada kicked its most lucrative natural resource—the Toronto Raptors—out of the country and refused to let them play in Toronto for the entire 2020-21 NBA season, I knew they were about that life when it comes to the coronavirus. And in its efforts to keep that same energy, now comes the news that if you’re an NBA player and you aren’t vaccinated, guess where you’re prohibited from playing or traveling to?

Because apparently, Drake must be protected at all costs.

From USA Today:

NBA players who are not fully vaccinated will not be able to play games in Toronto beginning Jan. 15, per a mandate by the Canadian government, and teams were informed in a memo sent on Tuesday.

Canada had an exemption for non-fully vaccinated athletes allowing them to play in the country, but Canada’s minister of public safety announced the updated mandate on Nov. 19.

“Any player who is not fully vaccinated and does not have a medical contraindication to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine will be unable to enter Canada to play in games in Toronto,” the league said in a memo.

Thankfully, 97 percent of NBA players are vaccinated (while Kyrie Irving and about 14 others are not) and approximately 60 percent have received the booster. But for those wayward souls who listen to too much Joe Rogan and have opted not to get the jab, a league memo states that “any non-fully vaccinated player who fails to provide his services for a game in Canada is subject to reduction of compensation, a fine, suspension, or other appropriate action.”

For those unfamiliar with how NBA scheduling works, each team faces off against the other four teams in their division a grand total of sixteen times, and plays each of those teams four times during the season. And with the NBA’s 82 game season, each team also plays 41 games at home. So now that the Raptors are finally allowed to resume playing in Scotiabank Arena, that provides at least 41 opportunities for your favorite unvaccinated NBA player to incur the wrath of the league.

When you’re as invaluable to Toronto’s economy as Drake is, you do what you gotta do to protect your Certified Lover Boy. And considering Aubrey’s penchant for belonging to the streets and galavanting with NBA players, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was probably like, “Oh, hell nah. We’re not playing those reindeer games on this side.”

So if you’re on NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s payroll, and have aspirations to bask in any of the breathtaking “Views From the 6,” you might wanna get the jab.

Thanks in advance for your compliance.