Nets ace Chandler pulls out of NBA restart
BROOKLYN Nets forward Wilson Chandler ruled himself out of the NBA’s restarted season on Sunday, citing safety fears because of the coronavirus.
Chandler told ESPN he had opted to skip the restart in Orlando in order to spend more time with his family.
“As difficult as it will be to not be with my teammates, the health and well-being of my family has to come first,” Chandler told ESPN.
“Thank you to the Nets organization for understanding and supporting me in this decision, and I will be watching and rooting for our team in Orlando.”
Chandler had played 35 games this season before the coronavirus shutdown in March, averaging 5.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
He joins a handful of other NBA players who have elected to miss the restarted season in Florida, which includes the Portland Trail Blazers’ Trevor Ariza, the Washington Wizards’ Davis Bertans, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Avery Bradley and the Dallas Mavericks’
Willie Cauley-Stein.
NBA teams are due to travel to Orlando on July 7 for training camp before the league resumes on July 30.
CLIPPERS TO SIGN NOAH
Los Angeles Clippers will sign Joakim Noah for the rest of this season and next season, though the deal for 2020-21 isn’t guaranteed, a source with knowledge of the situation told The Times.
The team agreed to terms with the veteran center on a 10-day contract just before the NBA season shut down because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Noah, 35, has averaged 8.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists over 12 seasons. He will provide depth behind Ivica Zubac for the Clippers upon their return to action July 30 in Orlando, Florida.
NBA MAY ALLOW SOCIAL JUSTICE MESSAGES
NBA players could be allowed to wear jerseys bearing slogans supporting social justice causes or charities instead of their names when the league resumes next month, ESPN reported on Sunday.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul, president of the National Basketball Players Association, told ESPN’s The Undefeated website that players were in talks with the league about the initiative.
The report said jerseys could carry messages such as “Black Lives Matter” or “I Can’t Breathe” -- two popular rallying cries of the protest movement which erupted after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month.