Here is what has happened over the last couple of weeks in the NBA:OCTOBER 24The Brooklyn Nets held their home opener against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday but not without experiencing some unexpected commotion first. Before the afternoon tip-off at Barclays Center, a large group of people gathered outside of the arena to protest New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Nets guard Kyrie Irving, who is ineligible to play in home games due to the mandates, became a rallying cry for the group. They could be heard chanting, “Let Kyrie play.” Read more here.OCTOBER 14Brooklyn Nets star point guard Kyrie Irving confirmed and explained his decision to remained unvaccinated against COVID-19 during an Instagram Live video on Wednesday night. The seven-time All-Star insisted that he is not retiring from the NBA and that his decision not to get vaccinated was "about my life and what I am choosing to do." Irving said that his decision is "not a political thing," "not about the NBA" and "not about any organization." Read more here.OCTOBER 13Kyrie Irving's refusal to get vaccinated will cost him more than just this season's paycheck. Per Alec Sturm of Nets Daily (h/t Bleacher Report), NBA insider Shams Charania explained on "The Glue Guys" podcast the Nets won't be offering Irving a contract extension during this standoff. Charania says it was to be a $186 million extension offer. Read more here.OCTOBER 12The Nets decided that they’re not comfortable with guard Kyrie Irving only playing in half the team’s games due to his vaccination status. Brooklyn issued a press release Tuesday announcing that Irving won’t play or practice with the team until he can be a “full participant,” with general manager Sean Marks explaining the organization’s stance. Irving is the only player on the Nets who remains unvaccinated against COVID-19. A New York City executive order requires individuals who work in the city to have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine in order to enter indoor venues such as Barclays Center. Taking into account the Nets’ 41 home games and their two games at Madison Square Garden, Irving would be ineligible to play in 43 of 82 regular-season contests this season as long as he remains unvaccinated and the city’s executive order remains unchanged. Although Irving would have been eligible to play in Brooklyn’s other 39 games, it would have been a very stop-and-start process, especially since the Nets have seven home stands this season of three games or more. The team decided it would be untenable to have the point guard only available on the road, a decision that involved stars Kevin Durant and James Harden in addition to Marks and team owner Joe Tsai, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Read more here.Celtics center Al Horford has tested positive for the novel coronavirus COVID-19, the team announced Tuesday in a press release. Per the NBA’s coronavirus health and safety protocols, Horford is now isolating from players and team personnel. Read more here.OCTOBER 11It appears Ben Simmons is rejoining the Sixers. He has arrived in Philadelphia and took a COVID-19 test, as required by NBA protocols, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. The organization wants Simmons back on the court once he clears protocols, but that remains to be seen, Wojnarowski adds in another tweet. Read more here.OCTOBER 8Per CBS Sports' Jack Maloney and Conor Roche of Boston.com, the Celtics confirmed that All-Star Jaylen Brown is quarantining after he tested positive for COVID-19. While the club added that Brown is asymptomatic, it's unknown if he's considered fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. Read more here.OCTOBER 7According to Christopher Weber of the Associated Press, the Los Angeles City Council voted on Wednesday to approve one of the country’s strictest vaccine mandates. The ordinance will bar unvaccinated individuals from many indoor venues – including sports arenas – unless they receive medical or religious exemptions. According to Tim Bontemps of ESPN, L.A.’s vaccine mandate – which goes into effect in November – will include the same non-resident performer exemption that is included in New York’s and San Francisco’s executive orders. That means, for NBA purposes, the mandate will apply to players on the Lakers and Clippers but not to visiting players. Fortunately for the two Los Angeles teams, no players currently on their rosters appears likely to be impacted. Both the Lakers and Clippers indicated during training camp last week that their rosters will be fully vaccinated for the start of the 2021-22 season. Read more here.OCTOBER 6The National Basketball Players Association didn’t sign off on allowing teams to dock players 1/91.6th of their salaries for 2021-22 if they’re unable to play in a game due to a local vaccine mandate, NBPA executive director Michele Roberts tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Roberts tells Bondy that while the NBPA approved that per-game penalty (1/91.6th of a player’s salary) for certain health and safety protocol violations, the union doesn’t believe it should apply to players who miss games solely for being unvaccinated. As Roberts explains, the NBPA’s position is that a player shouldn’t be punished for being unvaccinated, since the NBA has no vaccine mandate of its own for its players. The league’s stance, per Roberts, is that the Collective Bargaining Agreement allows teams to assess those penalties without NBPA approval. Roberts reiterated that the vast majority of NBA players are fully vaccinated. She told Kavitha Davidson of The Athletic (Twitter link) that there’s now a 96% vaccination rate among NBA players, noting that vaccinated players have played a role in helping convince some of the holdouts. Read more here.The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on Wednesday that NBA players were informed about the harsh penalties unvaccinated players will face in Canada if they do not follow stringent rules. Unvaccinated players are allowed to leave the team hotel only to go to team activities. If they are caught leaving the hotel for other reasons, they could face up to six months in prison and/or $750K in fines. Read more here.OCTOBER 5Golden State Warriors swingman Andrew Wiggins explained his decision to get the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, telling reporters he felt forced to do so in order to continue his NBA career. Wiggins' decision to get vaccinated came after the NBA denied his application for religious exemption. His vaccination status came into question after the San Francisco Department of Public Health revealed anyone age 12 or over must be vaccinated to attend indoor events. Wiggins also explained why he was hesitant to get vaccinated, adding he holds nothing against the Warriors for how things played out. Read more here.OCTOBER 4The NBA and NBPA have agreed that unvaccinated players who can’t play in games due to local governmental vaccine mandates will be docked 1/91.6th of their salaries for each game missed, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, Bobby Marks and Adrian Wojnarowski. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 30ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday the NBA has now reached a 95% coronavirus vaccination threshold among players. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 29NBA players may not be able to play in certain games this season if they choose not to get the COVID-19 vaccine. According to the league, players who are unable to play due to vaccination status will not receive their game checks. Many have been wondering what will happen in New York City and San Francisco, where unvaccinated individuals currently are not allowed inside sports arenas, indoor restaurants and other venues. NBA spokesman Mike Bass said Wednesday that if unvaccinated players cannot play in games in those cities, they will not be paid. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 28Visiting players who haven’t been vaccinated will be able to receive National Interest Exemptions to play in Toronto, according to The Athletic. They must test negative after arriving in Canada and won’t be able to leave the team hotel, other than to go to Scotiabank Arena. Raptors players are almost fully vaccinated and the team expects to reach that status by opening night. Read more here.Jonathan Isaac is among the approximately 10 percent of NBA players who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine. The Magic big man answered questions on Monday about why he has declined the vaccine. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 28Suns star Devin Booker confirmed on a Twitch stream on Sunday that he’s currently dealing with a case of COVID-19, as Kellan Olson of 98.7 Arizona Sports relays. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 24According to SNY's Ian Begley, general manager Scott Perry announced Friday that all Knicks players are vaccinated against the coronavirus. As things currently stand, the NBA has told the Knicks and Brooklyn Nets they must follow the New York City vaccination mandate regarding individuals entering venues such as MSG. Players, thus, are not allowed to play in exhibition, regular-season or playoff games held at the "World's Most Famous Arena" unless they are vaccinated or have received approved medical or religious exemptions. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 21According to Tim Bontemps of ESPN, Brooklyn general manager Sean Marks admitted on Tuesday that some players would be "missing" if the team had to practice for a game today but added that New York's COVID-19 guidelines regarding individuals entering arenas such as Barclays Center shouldn't be an issue for the club by the start of the regular season next month. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 20Some Golden State Warriors could be facing a conundrum as the 2021-22 NBA season approaches. Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area reported Monday that unvaccinated Warriors players could potentially lose a lot of money pursuant to the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s new policy governing entrance into venues such as the Chase Center. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 14According to Baxter Holmes and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, NBA players will not be forced to receive one of the available coronavirus vaccine shots because the National Basketball Players Association "has refused to budge on its demand that players not be required to take the vaccine." The NBA and NBPA did not offer a comment to ESPN, but the Worldwide Leader added approximately 85% of the Association's players were vaccinated as of earlier this month. ESPN reports the NBA and NBPA are still negotiating health and safety protocols for vaccinated and unvaccinated players for the 2021-22 season. Read more here.Additionally, unvaccinated players will face strict protocols. Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that non-vaccinated players will have to test negative on game day twice if they plan on suiting up. Vaccinated players will not undergo regular testing. Read more here.