COVID-19 issues spark more debate
Players, Atlanta mayor voice concern over All-Star Game
The Spurs are dealing with a coronavirus outbreak among four players, the NBA said Tuesday, meaning the team will not play until the middle of next week at the earliest.
Meanwhile, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms — whose city was picked to play host to the NBA All-Star Game and skills competitions on March 7 — raised major concerns about the notion of fans coming to the city for the events.
“People should not travel to Atlanta to party,” she said.
The NBA on Tuesday postponed five more games: the next three for the Spurs — at the Cavaliers on Wednesday, at the Knicks on Saturday and at the Pacers on Monday — as well as the next two for the Hornets while contact tracing is completed.
The Hornets were scheduled to host the Bulls on Wednesday and Nuggets on Friday. Their games have been halted because they were the last team to play the Spurs, losing to them on Sunday. The league is reviewing data to see if any Hornets may have been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, a process that takes time.
The Hornets’ next possible game is now Saturday at home against the Warriors, in what would be Warriors guard Stephen Curry’s annual return to North Carolina, where he grew up. The Spurs’ next possible game is Feb. 24 at the Thunder, meaning the Spurs will have more than a week between contests — as the Wizards and Grizzlies did earlier this season when affected by the virus.
The postponements announced Tuesday push the total of games that have been moved back this season because of positive tests or contact tracing issues to 29, including the Spurs’ game at the Pistons that was to have been played Tuesday night. The NBA called that game off on Monday.
The Nuggets will now play at the Cavaliers on Friday, the NBA said. That game, originally targeted for the second half of the season, is replacing the postponed Nuggets-Hornets game on the schedule. The NBA has said it will shuffle some games, when possible, to accommodate the need to reschedule games in the second half of the season.
Four-time NBA MVP LeBron James, two-time reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks, two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard of the Clippers and others have spoken out in recent days to express their unhappiness about the idea of playing an All-Star Game during a pandemic — and wedging it into an already jam-packed and truncated season.
The NBA told teams Monday that strict protocols will be in place for the All-Star events; players will be allowed a very limited number of guests, all participants must travel to Atlanta by private car or plane, and for the most part players will be allowed to leave their hotels only for All-Star events at the arena.
Tickets will not be sold. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported earlier this week that some vaccinated frontline workers will be invited to attend, but there will not be events for the general public — an obvious change from past All-Star weekends, which tend to attract tens of thousands of fans for the game, parties and atmosphere.
“Under normal circumstances, we would be extremely grateful for the opportunity to host the NBA All-Star game, but this is not a typical year,” Bottoms said. “I have shared my concerns related to public health and safety with the NBA and Atlanta Hawks. We are in agreement that this is a made-for-TV event only, and people should not travel to Atlanta to party.”