On Wednesday, the National Basketball Players ASsociation announced that three unidentified players had tested positive for COVID-19, out of a testing pool of 488 players. This reporting period ran from April 14-21. In the previous week, there had been no positive tests. Any player who comes back with a confirmed positive test or has been identified as a close contact of an infected person, goes into quarantine or isolation until cleared according to rules that the NBA and the NBPA developed, following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control.
Let’s look at some other recent COVID-19 news related to the NBA that could influence your sports betting choices.
NBA News: COVID-19 Update (April 22)
Vaccine skepticism remains in the NBA
As with other professional sports leagues, the NBA has not mandated that its players receive the COVID-19 vaccine. There is an awareness that, particularly in the African-American community, there is a significant level of district dating back to such unethical experiments carried out on African-American subjects without their knowledge, such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, which ran from 1932 until 1972. However, the NBA has held education sessions about the vaccine for current and former players, and they have also released four PSAs dealing with the vaccine featuring five African-American former NBA players: Wayne Embry, Dave Bing, Julius Erving, Bill Russell, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Even so, as long as leading players as LeBron James remain mum about their intentions, it will be more difficult to get full momentum toward vaccination. The Los Angeles Lakers are not yet at 85 percent vaccination as an organization, although controlling governor Jeanie Buss and forward Montrezl Harrell posted on social media that they have received the vaccine. James and Anthony Davis have not revealed their status, and as long as the Lakers’ organization remains below 85 percent vaccinated, the team will still face the full restrictions of the NBA’s protocols.
NBA fans can self-test before attending a live game
One problem with the rapid COVID-19 tests that so many people have taken is that they only have a reliability rate of about 33%. That means that only one in three tests will be correct, on average. This has pushed many players (and people in other professions) into quarantine ahead of the slower PCR test, which simply revealed that the first test was a false positive. In a pilot program, the Golden State Warriors and Lucira Health Inc. have set up free testing for fans. People who buy tickets more than seven days ahead of game day will receive eligibility for a free COVID-19 test kit from Lucira, which has PCR levels of accuracy. If the test taker is positive, they will find out within 11 minutes. Negative results are confirmed within 30 minutes. These results have the same reliability as PCR lab tests used elsewhere, and these kits are designed for testing at home before leaving for the game. According to the California Department of Public Health, each fan must have proof of full vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test given no earlier than 48 hours ahead of the game. AFter fans self-test, they sign up with CLEAR’s Health Pass to link their test result and fill out a health survey so that they can receive a Health Pass, which they must show to gain entry to the arena. The Lucira test has emergency use authorization (EUA) for sale over the counter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Measures such as this should make more people comfortable attending games, which will help the NBA over time — and help public health.
NBA set to probe incident outside Miami strip club
Houston Rockets guard Sterling Brown ended up bloodied and with multiple cuts on the face in an altercation near a Miami strip club early on Monday. Kevin Porter Jr and other teammates were also on the scene, and Porter attempted to shield Brown during the fight. The visit to the club was an apparent violation of league COVID-19 protocols, and any players there could face league discipline similar to the $50,000 fine that James Harden faced earlier in the season for a trip to a club, as well as a mandatory quarantine.
NBA Betting Odds
Love betting NBA basketball? | Xbet Sportsbook offers up to date NBA lines
