Many of the NBA's top players are expressing apprehension about accepting invitations to participate in league-sponsored public service announcements to bolster broader acceptance of the coronavirus vaccine, sources told ESPN.

The NBA's outreach to the agents of many of the league's elite players -- with hopes of getting stars to participate in PSAs to promote the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine -- has been met with a tepid response, sources said. Player apprehensions about receiving the vaccine are consistent with those that also exist in Black communities throughout the country, agents and players told ESPN.

Source: Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN

ANALYSIS: The NBA has been clear that it won't 'jump the line' to get the vaccine, but the timeline of March/April is approaching for the league, which is when the NBA anticipated being able to vaccinate it's players. According to ESPN though, this remains a very fluid timeline and nothing is set in place. In recent weeks we have seen NBA legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell encouraging people to get vaccinated, but so far the NBA has been met with some resistance from its top players to do the same.

Wojnarowski added that there are a number of factors contributing to many players' reluctance to participate in promoting the vaccine, including uncertainty about taking the vaccine themselves, reluctance to advocate its use for others and resistance to extending favors to a league amid the largely unpopular plans for an All-Star Game.