The NBA is off and running down in Orlando after a very long hiatus. But that has not been without its faults as the league continues to press teams to stay on top of health concerns. In addition to that, players have also been lost to injury early on. Let’s dive into some of the news from around the league this week.
Top News This Week
- The Sacramento Kings had a player test with inconclusive results for the COVID-19 virus. The successive negative results on Thursday and Friday allowed for his availability, but this is a concern long-term. If teams get more results that show up inconclusive, it’s unclear how the league would handle the later testing.
- In more troubling news, the Magic will be without Jonathan Isaac for the rest of the season. Isaac went down clutching his knee during a game this past weekend. Isaac was diagnosed with a torn ACL. He had previously missed 31 games earlier in the year with a previous knee injury.
- NBA teams were notified by the league that they needed to reemphasize the need to use masks and face coverings inside of the bubble. Teams were also told that there would be penalties for a lack of compliance, including possible suspensions for multiple violations. Repeat offenders are subject to enhanced discipline.
- Milwaukee’s Mike Budenholzer and Oklahoma’s City’s Billy Donovan were voted as the co-coaches of the year for 2020. The two coaches were tied for the award in votes, with Toronto’s Nick Nurse finishing in third by just one vote. The vote is taken by all 30 NBA coaches with each counting as one.
- The NBA is adjusting its protocol for players who return inconclusive tests, allowing for a quicker return to play. After entering quarantine, if players are asymptomatic and tests negative on their first retest, they are allowed to play as long as another test is returned within 60 minutes of their following game time.
- LeBron James was asked if awards being frozen bugged him since he was making a big push for the MVP award. He expressed his goal for a championship and the bigger picture, also noting that he showed everything he could through the course of the season.
Social News
As part of the NBA restart, players will be able to go to the barbershop that is located on campus. Players will be able to go in to several places throughout the bubble for basic services such as haircuts, salons, etc.
An NBA barbershop is being built in the bubble 🙌
(via tiagosplitter/Instagram) pic.twitter.com/61uIpMPuBZ
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 19, 2020
LeBron James turned some heads when he revealed that he had a few of his cards that sold for a whole lot of money.
.@KingJames is sitting on a couple million right now… in cards 💰 😂 @SportsCenter pic.twitter.com/LwqdancL5u
— ESPN (@espn) July 20, 2020
The much anticipated of Bol Bol in the NBA did not disappoint. Watch as he drains this shot from beyond the arc.
Bol Bol drains his first NBA 👌!
📺: NBA TV pic.twitter.com/LTms39Nl3r
— NBA (@NBA) August 3, 2020
All of that news and more, this week in the NBA! Check back weekly with GMS Sports for the most up-to-date information on your favorite sports.
