New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson has left the NBA bubble in Orlando due to an urgent family medical emergency, the team announced on Thursday. The rookie stud plans to rejoin the team at the Walt Disney World complex at a later time.
“We fully support Zion's decision to leave the NBA campus to be with his family,” said Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin. “Out of respect for the Williamson family, we will have no further comment at this time.”
Zion Williamson update: pic.twitter.com/eShAPl1gB2
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) July 16, 2020
According to the NBA's health and safety protocol, Williamson will need to quarantine for four days upon returning bubble if he has a negative test each day he's outside the bubble if he's gone for seven days or less, or each day for the final seven days he's gone for longer than that. If he doesn't, he will have to quarantine for a total of 10 days.
Depending on when he returns and how his test results turn out, Williamson could wind up cutting it close before the start of the NBA season on July 30.
Unless he returns to the bubble by Sunday, Williamson could be in danger of missing the first game of the restart if he's forced to quarantine for 10 days. The Pelicans will face the Utah Jazz on July 30 and they could be doing so without their most promising player if he doesn't return healthy and able to resume practice.
Players are allowed to leave the bubble for emergency situations, but the cost of doing so is a lengthy period of waiting before they can take the court again.
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