A bunch of photos recently surfaced showing Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James in what appears to be an open pickup game session with Philadelphia 76ers stud Ben Simmons. This has garnered some controversy, with some folks pointing out that this goes against the NBA's policy against players taking part in non-league-sanctioned games.
NBA insider Marc Stein, however, has made it clear that while these workouts go against league policy, it does not appear that James and Simmons will be penalized for their actions — at least according to the new rule book released by the league with regard to the bubble plan.
Such workouts and pick-up games, of course, are against league rules and have been throughout the shutdown. But there has no been no indication that any players seen active of late in various videos or still footage will be sanctioned for exposing themselves to unsafe conditions
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 19, 2020
No punishment was ever specified in the league's various memorandums to teams and players urging the players to avoid working out anywhere but team practice facilities … because the rule, I'm told, was conceived with the intent to be protective rather than punitive …
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 19, 2020
This rule was initially in place to ensure that NBA players do not sustain injuries outside official team activities. However, with the pandemic, the mindset has shifted to more of looking out for the health and safety of the players against the virus as the priority.
The photos clearly show that social distancing was not observed during the workout. Just one person in the crowd (at least the ones pictured) was wearing a protective face mask. The mean streets of NBA Twitter could not help but criticize this particular aspect of this workout session, with some pointing out that the manner by which this was executed increases the risk of spreading the virus.
Finally, the report confirmed that all NBA players, including LeBron and Simmons, will be required to report to their respective teams next week in preparation for the trip to Florida.
Players are required to report to their teams by Monday … with team-administered COVID-19 testing scheduled to begin Tuesday
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 19, 2020
As with everything LeBron does, this has once again become a relatively big NBA issue. Whether the league or the Lakers will pay this any mind remains to be unclear at this point.
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