PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — On Monday, Philadelphia 76ers Sixers star Joel Embiid became the fourth player on the team to enter the NBA's COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocols. Head coach Doc Rivers also indicated that a staff member was in the protocol too.
"It clearly is a concern," Rivers said before the Sixers lost to the New York Knicks 103-96 — the first of possibly several games without Embiid, who reportedly tested positive for COVID-19.
Embiid was supposed to sit out the game against the Knicks anyway so he could rest the front end of a back-to-back, but shortly after that became public, word leaked about his entrance into the protocol.
ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported Embiid is vaccinated. Rivers revealed that he was symptomatic, like fellow starter Tobias Harris.
"He's not doing great," Rivers said of Embiid Monday night. "He's struggling with it very similar to Tobias."
Per the NBA's Health and Safety Protocols, a player can return after at least 10 days or two negative tests 24 hours apart.
Related
Rivers says if you can get a COVID-19 booster shot, you should.
"COVID is not over. And it's still very, very much in play, and not just sports … but in life," Rivers said. "As I said last year, this is the first disease in a while that has nothing to do just with you. The reason this is still around, in my opinion, because you're responsible for others. And I think, unfortunately, I don't think we all understand that."