The NBA is investigating the whereabouts of Los Angeles Clippers guard Lou Williams during an excused absence from the league’s Walt Disney World bubble so he can determine the length of his quarantine process, the Associated Press reported Saturday, citing to a person with knowledge of the matter. .
Williams, who was allowed to leave the isolated setting of the NBA campus at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports complex to attend a family member’s funeral, was photographed at a gentleman’s club in Atlanta on Thursday night. by rapper Jack Harlow, who later removed the photo from his Instagram story.
On Friday, Harlow insisted that the photo was taken earlier this week, tweeting: “That was an old photo of me and Lou. I just remembered why I miss him. “
Williams, 33, is wearing an NBA-issued mask in the photo, the type believed to be only available within the Disney bubble and would discredit any argument that the photo had been taken earlier.
The NBA has a process to determine the length of quarantine for those who leave the bubble, depending on what people did after they left and whether they continued to receive daily tests for coronavirus. The quarantine period can exceed 10 days if NBA rules are not followed.
ESPN said Williams admitted to NBA security that he went to the famous Magic City gentlemen’s club in downtown Atlanta for a short time.
“He is back here. I can tell you that, ”Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. “And obviously those came out and that’s something we don’t enjoy seeing, or we like.”
The guard is averaging 18.6 points and 5.7 assists off the bench for Los Angeles, who had the second-best record in the Western Conference when the NBA suspended its season on March 11.
The Clippers open the seed game Thursday against the LA Lakers.
Williams is one of many players who have dropped out of the bubble so far for what was described as family reasons, including New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, Houston Rockets guard Austin Rivers, and teammates. the Clippers, Montrezl Harrell and Patrick Beverley.
Williamson, the No. 1 pick in last year’s NBA draft, returned to Disney World on Friday night and immediately returned to quarantine. There was no immediate announcement on how long he would be separated from the Pelicans, but being back now suggests that he may be able to play when New Orleans faces Utah on Thursday in the first opening game of the NBA restart.
“My family and I appreciate the love and respect that everyone showed us as we dealt with a private family matter,” Williamson said Friday night in a statement. “I am excited to meet my team in Orlando and look forward to returning to the court with my teammates after quarantine.”
Williamson spent eight days out of the bubble. He was examined daily during his absence for Covid-19, and all of those tests were negative. That will probably shorten the amount of time you will be quarantined.
The NBA and the players’ union said Monday that none of the 346 players evaluated for Covid-19 showed positive results in the past seven days, the most encouraging sign so far, the bubble concept is working.
Two players tested positive during the first week on campus of 322 tested, including Rockets star Russell Westbrook. Another 19 tested positive during market tests that began July 1 before the teams headed to central Florida.
