03/07/2021 20:01
Clarín.com
sports
Updated 03/07/2021 20:01
The Cameroonian Joel Embiid and the Australian Ben Simmons, figures of the Philadelphia 76ers, will be dropped in the All-Star Game this Sunday due to an unusual situation:
the hairdresser
they visited hours before the game
tested positive
for coronavirus and
the NBA decided to separate them for being close contact.
"Embiid (Team Durant) and Simmons (Team LeBron) will not play the All-Star tonight," confirmed the NBA just eight hours before the game started at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta (Georgia).
"Before traveling to Atlanta, Philadelphia players Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons had contact with an individual who this Sunday was confirmed to have tested positive for coronavirus," explained the North American Basketball League in the statement.
Joel Embiid will miss the All-Star Game for being close contact of a positive case of coronavirus.
Photo: Reuters
According to the US media, the person Embiid and Simmons were in contact with
was their personal barber and hairdresser in Philadelphia.
Both players had to be rivals in the exhibition game, in which Embiid was part of the starting five of the team captained by Kevin Durant and substitute Simmons from LeBron James' team.
Doc Rivers, coach of the Sixers and head of Team Durant, decided that Embiid be replaced in the starting five by Zion Williamson, the young power forward for the New Orleans Pelicans, the NBA reported.
After testing positive in a first test, the hairdresser was subjected to an additional examination that confirmed the contagion,
after which the NBA decided to withdraw Embiid and Simmons from the game as a precaution.
"The participation of other All-Stars and members of the Philadelphia 76ers coaching staff in Atlanta is not affected because they were not exposed to the individual in Philadelphia," the NBA said.
According to the NBA's coronavirus prevention protocols, any player who tests positive for COVID-19 or has been in close contact with an infected person should immediately self-quarantine.
About thirty games have been postponed since the start of the season on December 22 as a result of these protocols.
In a virtual press conference, Doc Rivers said the NBA briefed them on the Embiid and Durant situation Saturday night.
"The fact that they cannot play is a disappointment for them, but the most important thing obviously is their health," said the coach of the Sixers, leaders of the Eastern Conference with 24 wins and 12 losses.
In addition to Embiid and Simmons, other players selected for the All-Star will not be able to participate due to injuries, such as Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets), Anthony Davis (LA Lakers) and Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns).
The celebration of the All-Star Game amid the coronavirus pandemic drew harsh criticism from some of the NBA's greatest figures, including LeBron James (LA Lakers).
"It's like a slap in the face"
for the players, the superstar of the reigning champions said in February, recalling that the NBA had promised to give them a full week off in this busy season.
Kawhi Leonard (LA Clippers), the starter of Team Durant, went so far as to accuse the NBA of
"putting money over health."
The commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver, defended himself of the criticism assuring that the players would be safe in the "mini bubble" that they had prepared in Atlanta.
The security protocols for this event dictate that all players had to land in this city on Saturday night
on private flights and can only stay in their hotel
and on the field before leaving on the same Sunday.
Embiid and Simmons flew separate private flights to Atlanta on Saturday and have not been in contact with any other players since their arrival, The Athletic reported.
Only about 1,500 guests will be able to access the State Farm Arena
, which seats about 21,000 spectators.
His abrupt retirement from the All-Star is a blow for Embiid and Simmons, who are starring in a spectacular season by propelling their team to the third best record in the NBA.
Embiid, 26, who was due to play his fourth All-Star, is one of the candidates for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award of the season, with averages of 30.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists. per game.
Simmons, 24, who was due to play in the All-Star Game for the third time, is averaging 15.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.9 assists per night.
At the moment, the quarantine period to which the stars of the Sixers will have to undergo is unknown, a team that will resume the competition on Thursday when visiting the Chicago Bulls.
Source: AFP.
Look also
NBA All Star 2021: All-Star Game Headlines Announced
Historical: Campazzo within the Rising Stars of the NBA