PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 07: Matisse Thybulle #22 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts against the Chicago Bulls at the Wells Fargo Center on March 7, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The 76ers defeated the Bulls 121-106. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty PHILADELPHIA - Matisse Thybulle took a seat, took a breath and took a moment to explain why he made a choice — one the Philadelphia 76ers defensive specialist admitted he tried to keep hidden — not to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19.Thybulle’s choice will cost him playing time in the postseason, and could cost the Sixers their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series against Toronto.Thybulle is barred from Canada because unvaccinated foreign nationals are currently prohibited from entering the country and limited exemptions to the rule no longer apply to professional athletes.Thybulle’s situation first became known last week when he was suddenly listed as "ineligible to play" on the NBA injury report on Philadelphia’s most recent trip to Toronto.Thybulle broke his silence Sunday once the Sixers clinched the No.
4 seed and were matched up against the fifth-seeded Raptors. The Sixers will play at least Games 3 and 4 of the series in Toronto.
Game 1 is Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center."I was raised in a holistic household, where anti-vax is not like a term that was ever used, it’s a weird term that has been kind of been thrown around to just label people," Thybulle said. "We grew up with Chinese medicine and naturopathic doctors.