Charles Barkley Wants Pro Athletes To Get ‘Preferential Treatment’ For COVID-19 Vaccine Because They Pay High Taxes

January 15, 2021 by C.J. in Sports with 0 Comments

Charles Barkley

Charles Barkley Wants Pro Athletes To Get ‘Preferential Treatment’ For COVID-19 Vaccine Because They Pay High Taxes

While the COVID-19 vaccine is a hot commodity for millions of people, former NBA star Charles Barkley said he wants professional athletes to be first in line to receive it.

Charles Barkley offered up his own suggestion while hosting NBA on TNT Thursday, Jan. 15th.

“I think they should let NBA players and coaches all get the vaccine. That’s just my personal opinion. We need 300 million shots. Give some thousand to NBA players … NFL players, hockey players … As much taxes as these players pay, let me repeat that, as much taxes as these players pay, they deserve some preferential treatment.”

He added:

“I said taxes… [it’s not about] the amount of money you make…I’m saying the amount of taxes these guys pay…”

Charles Barkley says NBA/NFL players should jump the line and get vaccine shots because they pay more taxes than normal people pic.twitter.com/ce5y1WTTOk

— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) January 15, 2021

Meanwhile, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has already reportedly said teams “would not jump the line” get vaccines early. He said, according to ESPN:

“It goes without saying that in no form or way will we jump the line. We will wait our turn to get the vaccine. When you think about the logistical feat that now the federal and state governments are undertaking, where if every citizen ultimately requires two doses and with a population of over 300 million, it’s beyond comprehension when you start to begin to think about the logistical challenges of transporting and distributing this vaccine.”

Charles Barkley didn’t get much support on Twitter either as his name trended.

Charles Barkley giving his take on NBA players jumping to the front of the line to get a COVID vaccine pic.twitter.com/XUkCrfvP4D

— Richard R. Waithe, PharmD (@richard_waithe) January 15, 2021