Jerome Adams could have called upon anybody. Any scientist, politician or celebrity in the United States. As one of the most powerful public health figures in the nation, the U.S. Surgeon General had his pick. But last week, when Adams steered a Los Angeles television interview back to COVID-19 vaccines, and when he sought a famous figure to aid the country’s cause, he pivoted to sports.
“LeBron James,” he said out of nowhere. “I want to know when you’re going to take the shot. Not the basketball shot, but the COVID shot.