It’s day two of the NBA season and the league is already being forced to postpone games.
On Wednesday the NBA called of the Rockets-Thunder game after several players reported back inconclusive tests and James Harden was forced to sit out due to the fact that he violated Covid-19 protocols after being spotted at a nightclub yesterday.
James Harden is unavailable due to a violation of the health and safety Protocols, NBA says. Three Rockets have returned positive or inconclusive coronavirus tests. Four others are quarantined due to contact tracing. https://t.co/K600Zr16DC
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 23, 2020
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, several Rockets players gathered together in an apartment to get haircuts with a player who tested positive for Coronavirus.
ESPN story on Rockets' contact tracing after several players — including John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins — gathered for haircuts: https://t.co/FNaLCpFFA3
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 23, 2020
Via ESPN
Contact tracing protocols caused the Rockets to send home three players Wednesday after rookie teammate Kenyon Martin Jr. returned a positive coronavirus test and needed to be tested again for confirmation, sources said.
The league announced later Wednesday that the Rockets’ game against the Oklahoma City Thunder was postponed.
Wall, Cousins and Martin were among Rockets players gathered on Tuesday evening at a player’s apartment away from the team facility getting haircuts, sources said. The Rockets listed Martin as “not with the team/self isolating” for the opener against Oklahoma City on Wednesday night in Houston, and sources told ESPN that he was awaiting further test results to confirm the original positive.
It’s unclear if the league will discipline Harden for partying but the Rockets superstar is maintaining his innocence while the NBA investigates the matter.
Harden has told the league that he attended a seated dinner for a friend who’d recently been promoted at work, according to the source.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) December 23, 2020
Harden has told the league he took a photo with his friend, when he gave her a gift. Harden also claimed he left after approximately 30 minutes, and did not continue on with the group, which went to other locations later in the night.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) December 23, 2020
After the NBA declared James Harden "unavailable due to violation of health and safety protocols," it is still unclear to both Harden and the Rockets how long he'll be unavailable or whether he'll face league punishment, sources tell @ramonashelburne and me.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 23, 2020