When Georges Niang entered the NBA's health and safety protocols, the 76ers became the latest team affected by the current outbreak of COVID-19 that's affecting the entire country. And Philadelphia can be seen as one of the lucky ones — the Nets, Bulls, Lakers, Bucks, Knicks and Kings have all dealt with at least four players in protocols, and cases are continuing to pile on.
Needless to say, the situation isn't great, and another major sports league has already seen execs show signs of resignation as to how they can possibly overcome the difficulties currently at hand. For Sixers star big man Joel Embiid, it's something that the NBA has to handle better.
"...From the beginning, you know, even when it hit us I was mad because I thought last year there was great precautions in place and this year it was just all over the place and I just thought it was unprofessional and that's where we are now," Embiid said (via Yaron Weitzman).
Perhaps his words reflected the sentiments of many, as the NBA and the Players Association agreed to stiffen its protective measures regarding COVID policies. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported late on Thursday night that testing will be elevated for two weeks, starting on December 26, and that face mask usage will be increased to players and staff on the benches, in workout facilities and during travel. In the past, vaccinated players had not been required to undergo testing during the season, but under the new rules, only those who received a booster shot at least two weeks earlier or who recently recovered from the virus will be exempt from testing.
Both the league and the Players Association seem to agree on one thing, per Woj, and that's that they're "determined to continue the season without interruption." We'll see if the enhanced safety measures can resolve the "unprofessional" way in which the league has handled things so far, like Embiid opined, and bring us back to a state of relative normalcy.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram