Despite the virus being almost impossible to stop from spreading, the NBA continues. The sports world had been shut down for quite some time since the news of Covid-19 spread, and for many people, playing or watching sports meant everything to them. Many suffered as a result, including players, staff members and even the fans. The pandemic has had an impact on the players, as they not only lost the opportunity to perform, but some were even concerned about losing their jobs. 

It took a lot of effort to regain the sports world, but people eventually got what they wanted. Currently, all of the major sports are being played despite covid cases increasing in some places. With that being said, players and staff followed many guidelines and safety precautions to be able to play. These include daily screenings, tests, masks, and of course social distancing. Players also have to go through a quarantine if they were around someone who tested positive, which could impact the players dramatically since they will not be able to be around their team for ten days. 

If the virus travels throughout a team, their games can be suspended and even the teams they have faced off against may be forced into isolation. It has been important, especially for star basketball players, to follow these rules to be able to stay on the court and lead their team. With these rules come serious consequences and conflicts. Players are being held accountable for contracting COVID.

“If a player misses a game because he’s in quarantine after breaking COVID protocols, that would cost 1/72nd of his salary this season,” Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press noted.

Due to the association having strict guidelines, there are some players coming out calling these rules selfish. If players were caught not obeying the rules they were fined harshly. James Harden, who was a former MVP of the league, was fined $50,000 in December by the NBA due to the violation of the league’s health and safety protocols. There have been many other smaller fines by players that were less of a star than Harden, but Harden’s teammate Kyrie Irving paid a much larger fine. Irving was penalized a whopping $800,000 by the league because he was spotted at an indoor pool party in January. These two stars set an example of what not to do, and the league has been running quite well ever since. 

There has been a conversation in the league about getting the players vaccinated. Throughout the league, there are different opinions on the vaccine. There is no set mandate that a player has to receive one, but many have been doing it on their own. The media and players discussed if vaccinations should be mandatory and if it was the right thing to do. When Lebron James was asked about his plan with vaccination, he stated, “That’s a conversation my family and I will have. I’ll keep that to a private thing.” 

There will always be cases, but at least the NBA is back, and as long as everyone follows the protocols, outbreaks will be minimized. The NBA got many fans through the pandemic, and they are hopeful that the worst of this virus has already passed through the league.