The NBA is reiterating to players the need to wear masks/facial coverings in the Orlando bubble.
Marc Stein of The New York Times reported teams were instructed to dedicate some time to the importance of wearing a mask at the next team meeting:
NBA teams were notified today by the league office to re-emphasize the use of masks and face coverings by everyone in the NBA bubble and were also told to utilize a portion of their next team meeting to reiterate the importance of doing so, league sources say
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 2, 2020
Stein also reported the league reminded teams of “non-compliance” penalties, including fines, suspensions and possible removal from the campus:
Teams were also reminded today that penalties for non-compliance on mask wearing at the NBA Bubble range from warnings to fines, suspensions and potentially even removal from campus, @NYTSports has learned … with repeat offenders subject to enhanced discipline
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 2, 2020
The news comes after Toronto Raptors guard Terence Davis — a purported proponent of coronavirus conspiracy theories — was spotted with a hole in his mask ahead of the team's game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night:
https://twitter.com/Hou5ton4L/status/1289734082880913410
Many NBA players have seemingly been on board in terms of wearing a mask and keeping their peers safe, and this is reflected by the lack of positive COVID-19 tests in the bubble.
But there certainly have been some outliers.
Lakers center Dwight Howard was warned about failing to wear a mask in mid-July, and later stated he was against vaccinations and also was seemingly unaware COVID-19 traveled through the air.
More recently, Denver Nuggets rookie Michael Porter Jr. made some strange comments about the virus really being an “agenda” for population control.
Davis appears to be the latest player showing skepticism.
The 23-year-old has been a good bench piece for the Raptors this season, averaging 7.7 points in just over 16 minutes per game while also shooting nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc. However, Davis is not long for Orlando if he continues to disobey health and safety protocols.
Needless to say, the league is proceeding with an abundance of caution with respect to the virus. The NBA can hardly afford an outbreak, especially given all players and staff are in the same general vicinity. While the plan is working thus far, there's still a long way to go before a champion is crowned.
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