The NBA has been shut down since March 11 due to the global coronavirus pandemic and that has been a major concern as the season gets set to resume in Orlando in the “bubble site” to make sure everybody is safe. In order to do that, the league began mandatory testing on June 23 to catch anybody who has tested positive for the virus and react to it accordingly.
In the case of the Philadelphia 76ers, everybody is all good–of course, the exception is the injured Zhaire Smith. Coach Brett Brown held a media availability via a Zoom call on Wednesday and he says that there were no positive tests and–amid a climate of racial injustice at the moment–nobody has elected not to go to Orlando.
“Nobody’s tested positive, nobody’s elected not to go,” Brown explained. “I will tell you we’re trying to figure out this restriction we have as far as staffing and players who ultimately [are] going to end up going to Orlando. We’re pretty close to knowing 100%, obviously the key people and key players we get.
In relation to people who have had the virus or feel a little bit unsafe about going there, nobody has tested positive and certainly, nobody’s put their hand up to feel like they don’t want to go.”
Brown says no Sixers have tested positive for COVID and nobody has expressed any desire to not play in Orlando #Sixers
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) July 1, 2020
There have been players around the NBA who have already said that they will not be heading to the bubble for whatever reason that they feel is important to them and there is nothing wrong with that. This is going to be a personal decision for all of the players considering the current climate that the world finds itself in right now.
It just so happens that all of the Sixers will be heading down there to finish the season. They still have a lot of expectations when it comes to the playoffs and nothing changes with that now as they will get back at it on August 1 against the Indiana Pacers. [lawrence-related id=33796,33804,33782]