NBA: Fully vaccinated head coaches don't have to wear masks

Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash. Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports

Fully vaccinated NBA head coaches no longer required to wear masks when coaching games

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 5/22/21

As the CDC continues to loosen restrictions for those who are fully vaccinated, the NBA is following in its footsteps.

According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, coaches who are fully vaccinated are no longer required to wear facemasks while coaching games.

Fully-vaccinated NBA head coaches are no longer required to wear facemasks when coaching games, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. This is in light of vaccination rates among coaches and recent CDC guidance.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 22, 2021

The NBA's decision to loosen restrictions comes just in time for the playoffs.

According to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (h/t The Seattle Times), assistant coaches and players will still be required to wear masks in the bench area.

Head coaches will also be required to wear masks during halftime, during warmups and shootaround before the start of the third quarter and postgame, Reynolds adds.

Coaches have been required to wear masks all season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the playoffs, the league said it was making the mask change "to facilitate in-game coaching duties, and in light of vaccination rates among NBA head coaches," per Reynolds.

The NBA will see a large influx of fans for the postseason because of the CDC's new guidelines. The Miami Heat have increased capacity to 17,000 fans, the New York Knicks will welcome 15,000 fans and the Boston Celtics could be at near full capacity after Massachusetts announced it would lift all COVID-19 restrictions at the end of the month.

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