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!