Tuesday was full of surprises in the NBA bubble, but none were as fun as Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard CJ McCollum poking fun at Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard for not wearing a mask in public.
Prior to the end of a media availability session, the Blazers star said this unprompted:
“I'm wearing the mask and no one is around me,” said McCollum, according to ESPN's Royce Young. “I just wanted you guys to know that.”
Only last week, Howard questioned the requirement of wearing a mask in public, even after agreeing to the NBPA's rules for a return and to the NBA's health and safety protocols:
“They sanitize everything,” said Howard. “We’re getting tested every day. So, it’s not like we’re around anybody that can give it to us because we all get tested together. And so, we’re only around each other. We’re only around everybody that’s in the bubble. We don’t see any outsiders. We don’t have any contact with any outsiders.”
To make that even worse, he admitted to being part of the anti-vaccination crowd over the weekend, sinking his feet even deeper when it comes to outrageous takes.
Howard drizzled his statement with just a tad more ignorance, doubling down on why he wouldn't wear a mask in the bubble:
“If I'm alone, I don't need to wear a mask,” he said. “It's just like riding around in your car.”
Howard's violation was allegedly reported through the snitch hotline, which got him nothing more than a stern talking to.
Blazers head coach Terry Stotts started his media availability by wearing a mask, something that hadn't been seen before Tuesday:
Apparently there's been a protocol adjustment and players and coaches are wearing masks for their availabilities now. Terry Stotts said he was asked to wear it. pic.twitter.com/yRWuhSPHYk
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) July 21, 2020
McCollum followed suit by keeping it on through the entire interview, even with a projector screen and several feet separating him from the crowd of socially distant reporters.
Follow Us
Subscribe