Mike Ehrmann / Associated Press
The NBA and NBPA have reportedly informed teams of guidelines for players to bring guests inside the bubble near Orlando, Florida following the first round of the playoffs.
According to ESPN Adrian Wojnarowski, a reminder sent to NBA teams Wednesday says players will be able to invite family members and “established longtime personal friends.”
Wojnarowski he added that each player can bring in four guests, although the number can be exceeded for children. Additionally, guests will be allowed to travel on team charters after testing negative for COVID-19 and will be allowed to attend matches in person.
For Wojnarowski, the memo described a person not authorized to enter the bubble as follows: “Any individual the player has not previously met in person or with whom the player has had limited in-person interactions. (For example) … known to the player only through social media or an intermediary.”
The 2019-20 NBA campaign was halted in March due to the coronavirus pandemic and the season did not resume until the end of July at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
So far, the bubble concept has worked almost perfectly. Players who have to leave the bubble must quarantine themselves upon their return and test negative for COVID-19 multiple times before rejoining their teams. Since the season has resumed, no player tested positive for coronavirus.
There is a strong argument to be made both for and against having guests in the bubble.
On the one hand, it is a risk to bring in more people from all over the country. This risk can be mitigated by testing beforehand, but there is no guarantee that someone will not carry the virus with them.
At the same time, players will be away from their families for over a month before the second round of the playoffs begins on August 31st.
While it appears the plan to allow guests in the bubble is on track, it will be a very carefully considered decision if it does anything to jeopardize the NBA playoffs.
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