Around the NBA: Health and safety protocols

Several seasons later, the NBA is still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

To this point, the NBA has placed approximately 113 players in the health and safety protocols since the 2020-21 regular season began. One hundred of those have been in December, and three are in for the second time.

These hurdles are an unfortunate obstacle in what had started off feeling like a typical NBA season. Over 95 percent of players were reportedly vaccinated coming into tipoff in October, but vaccination does not mean immunity. Now, with so many players removed from their teams, we are back to game postponements and teams struggling to come up with the mandatory eight-player minimum for games.

Many star players such as Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden, Ja Morant, Anthony Edwards, Zach Lavine, De’Aaron Fox, and more have been impacted. The Brooklyn Nets even planned to bring Kyrie Irving back to fill the gaps on road games (he is unvaccinated and can therefore not play in New York). But, ironically, he entered the protocols on day one of his return.

This turmoil feels a bit like the struggles from the early days of the pandemic. Hopefully, this wave hitting the NBA gets under control sooner than later.

The NFL is currently dealing with similar struggles. Well-known to be less stringent and frankly vague about policies and testing related to COVID-19, the new issues are less than surprising. However, both leagues being hit simultaneously does serve as a reminder that the pandemic is still real and dangerous.

We selfishly hope the world of basketball clears up quickly so we can get back to watching hoops. However, we also want to use this instance as a reminder for those who come through our doors locally to be diligent with hygiene and socially considerate to minimize risking playing time for our hardworking athletes, not to mention the health of everyone.

All of the players missing action means significant opportunities for players being called up from the G-League and other areas. We wish all these players luck on the big stage and are thankful to have interesting pro hoops to sustain us while we wait for the league to be back at full strength.

Stay tuned to The Basketball Movement as we keep up with the happenings around the NBA!

NBA All-Star Weekend 2021: Game on?

After announcing the cancellation of the 2021 NBA All-Star Weekend back in November, will the NBA stick to its guns?

Though nothing is officially confirmed, it is looking more and more like the NBA is going to go ahead with its annual All-Star game. The event was announced as canceled back in November, as the league was in the midst of its shortest offseason in history. The bubble experiment worked, but it made for some difficult scheduling for the following (current) season.

Now, we have several postponed games per week as some teams struggle to consistently meet the requirements for an 8-man roster as the pandemic rages on. Though there is hope on the horizon with the rollout of vaccines and smarter precautions, there is still plenty of cause for concern.

Voting for NBA All-Star 2021 players is underway in a relatively small window - January 28th through February 16th (Vote here). The original assumption was that the All-Star titles would be an honor only, with no actual game. The thinking was that bringing players from all different teams together unnecessarily could make COVID containment difficult.

Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA and NBPA are finalizing an agreement on an All-Star game in Atlanta and the protocols that will be enacted. March 7th is the proposed date for the event, which would see all skill competitions as well. The full break would be March 5th-10th.

Apparently, the health and safety protocols are the only holdup, as both sides are trying to determine the best way to minimize the risk to what will be many of the league’s top players. Additionally, other players on the break will not be allowed to travel overseas in addition to other protocols and suggestions.

Players and executives alike have been a bit resistant to the idea. LeBron James noted that he would attend, but may not be enthused about it. De’Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings bluntly called having the game “stupid.” Luckily for Fox, he will probably not be invited despite his All-Star level salary.

Whether or not having a game is a good idea, it appears to be in the pipeline. Fans will likely not attend, making it one more strange-looking event for pandemic sports. The Basketball Movement will continue to monitor news about the All-Star events, NBA, and hoops in general, so keep checking back!