Los Angeles Clippers guard Lou Williams has returned to the Disney World bubble in Orlando, but is now under investigation for his activity while away, according to a report by Shams Charania of The Athletic. The league’s findings will determine how long Williams must be quarantined before he can join the team.
Williams left for a short time earlier this week to attend a funeral, but photos of him at a men’s club in Atlanta also appeared on social media. Rapper Jack Harlow posted a photo of himself and Williams on Thursday night, showing them hanging out. Harlow quickly removed the post, but not before it had been widely shared.
Harlow then tried to cover his tracks. “That was an old choice for Lou and me,” he wrote on Twitter. “I just remembered why I miss him.” He quickly removed that Tweet as well. With the evidence amassed against him, Williams told NBA security that he actually visited the Magic City men’s club on Thursday night, according to a report by ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. However, he claims he was there to pick up dinner.
Players who leave the bubble for excused absences, as Williams did, must quarantine for at least four days upon returning to Disney. That’s the minimum amount of time, though, and it also requires negative COVID-19 tests to be returned every day they leave, and they’re not in high-risk settings.
Williams underwent testing during her time out of the bubble, but her trip to the club may end up costing her a few extra days inside her hotel room now that she’s back. Their quarantine time could be extended to 10 to 14 days, according to the league’s health and safety document, which was obtained by CBS Sports.
The Clippers were understandably upset with Williams’ decision, and head coach Doc Rivers said Saturday that he “didn’t enjoy” seeing him. If Williams’ re-quarantine time were extended, he would likely lose at least the team’s first game against the Los Angeles Lakers on July 30.
While this is a fun story on the one hand, it’s also important to remember that the NBA bubble environment has been successful so far because everyone has followed the procedures. All it takes is one person to slide like Williams for the coronavirus to spread and make many people sick, and possibly even shut down the entire operation.
That’s why the league has been so diligent in its investigation, and also why it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Williams add a few extra days to his quarantine period. Yes, it would be inconvenient for him and the Clippers, but prevention is better than cure when it comes to a deadly virus.
