SACRAMENTO, Calif. — LeBron James has been placed in the NBA's health and safety protocols, and was ruled out for the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.
Such a move almost certainly means one of two things: that James either tested positive for COVID-19 or had an inconclusive result. James said earlier this season that he is vaccinated.
If James tested positive, he would likely be looking at a minimum of 10 days away from the Lakers unless he returns two negative PCR tests in a 24-hour span.
Alvin Gentry, the Sacramento Kings interim coach, described James testing positive as disappointing because many people were hoping to see him play.
"He's been such a great ambassador to the game, arguably the second best player to ever play the game," Gentry said. "Everybody wants to see him play, so it's unfortunate he wouldn't be able to play tonight."
Lakers Coach Frank Vogel declined to say if James was symptomatic or not, but he did say they arranged for him to get safe transportation back to LA after finding out this morning.
“Obviously, it’s a huge loss. It’s disappointing. We just want the best for him right now. That’s where our thoughts are and we have a next-man-up mindset,” Vogel said.
For the full AP story, click HERE.
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