Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers confirmed that Matisse Thybulle is ineligible to play in the team's first round games vs the Raptors in Toronto. Thybulle then went into further clarity on his unvaccinated status that makes him ineligible.
"I was raised in a holistic household, where anti-vax is not like a term that was ever used, it’s a weird term that has been kind of been thrown around to just label people," Thybulle said. "We grew up with Chinese medicine and naturopathic doctors. Just with that upbringing, coming into the situation, I felt like I had a solid foundation of medical resources that could serve me beyond what this vaccine could do for me. As things escalated, and as this situation has played out, I’ve obviously had to reconsider and look at it differently."
Thybulle explained he had his first dose of the vaccine, but why he chose not to go through with getting the second dose.
"To that point, it got to the point last year during the playoffs where I did actually consider getting vaccinated and went through with getting the first shot, the first dose, because at that point I was under the impression that getting vaccines would mean I could not get the disease and transmit it to other people," Thybulle said. "And I felt like if I’m going to be a part of society, in the position I’m in, I need to do what’s right for the greater good. That argument with the greater good held a lot of weight for me. And as things progressed, as this virus has changed many different ways, it showed through the science that wasn’t the case anymore, that even while being vaccinated you could still spread the disease."
As things currently stand, Thybulle will miss at least Games 3 and 4 in Toronto. If necessary, Game 6 will also be played in Toronto.