Stephen A on Matisse Thybulle's vaccination status: 'Genuine stupidity' / News - Basketnews.com

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Philadelphia 76ers guard Mattise Thybulle is not fully vaccinated. As a result, the Australian player will not be able to help his team against the Toronto Raptors in away games in Canada.

Matisse Thybulle

Team:Philadelphia 76ersPosition:SFAge:25Height:196 cmWeight:91 kgBirth place:United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

Foreign individuals who are not fully vaccinated cannot enter Canada. Limited exemptions to the rule no longer apply to professional athletes, so Thybulle will not be able to play for the 76ers during the games three and four of the Playoffs series.

ESPN journalist, TV personality, and radio show host Stephen A. Smith did not mince his words when reacting to the Thybulle situation on the First Take show.

"We're not calling anyone dumb, let's be very clear. Nobody's dumb, but Thybulle and his vaccination issues might be one of the dumbest things I have ever encountered in my career covering the NBA," Stephen A. explained.

"Let me get this straight. You took the vaccine, but you didn't get the second shot? I mean, at least Kyrie [Irving] took a position," he continued. "You took it, you just didn't take the second shot, and that's why you're going to miss Playoff games in Toronto?"

"When I think about stupidity, I mean, genuine stupidity, I'm struggling. I'm going back in all my years and the kind of stuff that I have covered in the history of sports..." Smith sounded off.

"You took the vaccine but you didn't take a second shot, and that's why you're going to miss the Playoffs? I just can't believe how dumb that is. By the way, we can't absolve the 76ers from their stupidity, because how did you not make sure he got the second shot since he took the first shot? I mean, dumb, dumb."

Thybulle has earlier explained that growing up in a holistic household has made him make the decision about the vaccination. "I felt like I had a solid foundation of medical resources that could serve me beyond what this vaccine could do for me," the player told the media.

"Having had the stance I've had for almost a year now, I just felt it couldn't be something I could be forced to do," Thybulle explained. "Because of rules and regulation changes, it just seemed like the right thing for me to just see it through."

"Unfortunately, the repercussions of that are going to be me missing games and not being there for my teammates," the player ended his statement.

"We pretty much knew it going into the game," 76ers head coach Doc Rivers said on Sunday. "So we'll be ready."

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