Adam Silver said the NBA will not "jump the line in any form whatsoever" in terms of players receiving COVID-19 vaccines.

"There's no way we'd ever jump the line in any form whatsoever," Silver said in an interview with Smith on First Take. "And, for the most part, because our players are so young and healthy without some sort of comorbidity, they will not be a high priority for vaccinations. There are some other members of the NBA community working on court who are older and will have a higher priority to get the vaccine.

"We will very likely be part of some public service campaigns, we already talked to the CDC and other federal agencies about that, encouraging people to get vaccinated when it is appropriate, but up until then, we will just be watching and waiting."

When asked what the league would do if players refuse to take the vaccine, Silver said that he hopes that doesn't become an issue.

"First of all, we don't have the right, short of a negotiation with their union, to require them to get vaccines," he said. "And I'm hoping it doesn't come to that. I understand that some people don't want to get vaccinated. I think part of it will be a public information campaign, and I'm also hoping that as more people get vaccinated it increases the public's confidence in the vaccine and the testing protocols they've undergone thus far in order for the government to in essence verify it is safe.

"But, again, as time goes on, I think more people will recognize the importance of getting vaccinated and, again, not just for themselves, this is a conversation we've already begun with some members of the NBA community. But for young, healthy people, while it's still an incredibly serious disease, they tend to do better than older people, or people with underlying conditions. So, for our players, the reason to get vaccinated may not be to protect themselves. It may be to protect their parents, their grandparents and other members of the community."