The NBA has reached a season-high number of referees who are in health and safety protocols, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com. As of Thursday afternoon, Wojnarowski reported that 25 of 70 officials (36%) were in quarantine.
As our health and safety protocols tracker shows, over 100 NBA players are currently out due to the virus. Eleven games have been postponed this season, including – most recently – Thursday’s Warriors-Nuggets game.
The NBA has called up G League officials to make up for various absences. Some games have been played with two referees instead of three, but Wojnarowski reports that the league is working to limit these instances.
Here are some other odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The NBA and NBPA have agreed to change the absence timeline for a player who enters protocols, Wojnarowski and Baxter Holmes write in a separate story for ESPN. The adjustment only impacts asymptomatic and vaccinated players. As the duo writes, players were allowed to return after seven days if their CT levels were above 35, but the change now allows players to return after five days if their CT levels are above 30.
- Eight-year NBA veteran Marcus Thornton has signed a contract in the G League, sources told Hoops Rumors. Thornton has played 483 NBA games, making past stops with New Orleans, Sacramento, Brooklyn, Boston, Phoenix, Houston and Washington during his career. He last played with the Pistons’ G League affiliate during the 2018/19 season.
- Free agent center Kosta Koufos will no longer sign with Italian club Reyer Venezia due to new guidelines and travel restrictions in the country, according to Marc Stein (Twitter link). Koufos, an 11-year NBA veteran, owns 686 games of experience since being drafted No. 23 overall in 2008.
Just want to say. This outbreak has to be cause this variant is more contagious. So be grateful that you are vaccinated. Therefore can make this an illness rather than a hospital stay. If we were still fighting the Delta variant we’d be in real trouble. As it is hospitals are still being overwhelmed. It’s been two yrs. Two years
Additionally, 10+ million people in the US have long covid so this is not necessarily a get sick and then fully recover illness. We may have millions more disabled people in this country because of the criminal neglect of corrupt and cowardly politicians of all stripes at all levels of government.
Yeah to make a pandemic. A political agenda is criminal. We should all be concerned about health and welfare of the people first.