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Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid will not play in Sunday night’s All-Star Game due to COVID-19 contact tracing, the NBA has announced.
Athletic’s Shams Charania and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Sixers stars were in contact with a barber who tested positive for the coronavirus. Wojnarowski reported that the hairdresser then returned an additional positive test.
Sixers head coach Doc Rivers, who will coach the team drafted by Kevin Durant, told reporters that “it was not very nice” for Simmons and Embiid to play in the game shortly before the league announced that its two All-Stars would not be participating. Simmons and Embiid’s scheduled media sessions have been canceled.
“Extremely unhappy,” said Bulls All-Star goaltender Zach LaVine. “From what I heard, they did everything right. I think they had close contact with their barber, and the barber was tested daily. As if they were trying to cover it up or doing it. something wrong. They did everything right and they (were) always in the wrong place at the wrong time. Extremely unhappy and sad but I think with the times we are living in right now you can’t be too safe .
As the NBA press release notes, Rivers and his Sixers coaching staff will still lead the Durant team on Sunday night as no one other than Embiid and Simmons has been exposed to the person who tested positive for Philadelphia. Zion Williamson of the Pelicans will replace Embiid as a starter, the league has announced.
After announcing last November that this year’s All-Star Game in Indianapolis had been postponed, the league decided to move forward with a game in Atlanta, Ga., During the COVID-19 pandemic despite stars like that LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo do not share the idea. .
“I think in general this All-Star game is a bit forced and just thrown at us,” James Harden said on Sunday.
The Sixers had one game postponed in the first half of the season, a scheduled road game against the Thunder, due to contact tracing. The team were shorthanded for games on January 9, January 11 and January 12 after Seth Curry tested positive for COVID-19 and other players were subsequently excluded by health protocols and of security.
The Sixers’ next regular season game is a March 11 game in Chicago against the Bulls. Up to 3,100 fans will be allowed to return to Wells Fargo Center for the March 14 Sixers game against Spurs.
Simmons and Embiid’s status for these games is uncertain. Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle and Shake Milton missed three Sixers games between Jan. 7 and Jan. 14 after sitting, according to Rivers, at a table with Curry during a team meal.
Embiid, who has positioned himself strongly in the MVP race, pledged on Saturday to donate his $ 100,000 All-Star earnings to organizations that help fight homelessness in Philadelphia. The Sixers organization also matched its donation.
Embiid and Simmons have said they look forward to playing against the league’s top talent in Atlanta.
“I can never take these opportunities for granted,” Embiid said Wednesday night. “It’s a great feeling to be among the best players in the world. I’m just looking to get out there, stay safe – first thing – and have fun in the best basketball game ever. “
A source confirmed on Sunday evening to John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia that Simmons and Embiid returned to Philadelphia after testing negative for COVID-19. Marc Stein of the New York Times first reported the news.
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