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“Dwight Howard, that is not what HIPAA is!”: Reporter schools the Lakers’ veteran who tried to dodge the question on his vaccination status citing the HIPAA Law

Raahib Singh
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Lakers’ veteran big Dwight Howard gets schooled by a reporter for misciting the HIPAA Laws to avoid answering questions about vaccines

The NBA pre-season is barely a few days away. There have been a lot of questions regarding players and their vaccination status. While NBA made it mandatory for the officials and the team staff to get vaccinated, the same hasn’t been applied for the players. The NBA claims that 85-90% of its players are vaccinated. However, there are still quite a few players making noise with the vaccination status.

Also Read: “I’m here for the long run”: Kawhi Leonard dispels any and every rumor about being unhappy with Los Angeles Clippers despite signing extension on media day

Yesterday Bradley Beal, Andrew Wiggins, and Kyrie Irving talked about their vaccination status on their media days. Recently, LeBron James commented on his vaccination status as well. On the Lakers’ media day, Dwight Howard addressed the media as well. While he talked about a lot of things, the question about his vaccination status caught everyone’s eye.

Dwight Howard gets schooled about the HIPAA Law

During the media interaction, a reporter asked Dwight Howard about his vaccination status. Dwight flashed a big smile and respectfully declined to talk about the same. However, while doing so, he cited the HIPAA Law.

The reporter wouldn’t quietly sit and listen to the player misuse the law. He got up and told Howard, “That’s not what HIPAA is, but ok.”

Also Read: “I don’t think they behave like good teammates or good citizens”: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar reveals his thoughts about NBA players who aren’t vaccinated

The HIPAA Law applies to medical personnel sharing patient’s personal information without consent. It does not apply to people asking other people about their stance on vaccines. In recent times, even former Laker Kyle Kuzma cited the HIPAA Law to get away from answering the same question.

Hopefully, the players realize soon enough that the vaccine is beneficial for them, and we see the end of the risk of the virus delaying the NBA season.

About the author

Raahib Singh

Raahib Singh

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Raahib Singh is an NBA Journalist and Content Strategist at The SportsRush. A Computer Science Engineer by qualification, Raahib's passion for sports drew him towards TSR. He started playing basketball at 14 and has been following the NBA since 2013. His entry into the basketball world perfectly coincided with Stephen Curry putting the league on notice. Having followed the league for a long time, he decided to use his knowledge to become a sportswriter with The SportsRush in 2020. Raahib loves to put up some shots in his spare time, watch Cricket, Formula 1, and/or read a nice thriller.

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