FLORIDA - Upon his arrival back in the NBA's Bubble, reigning Sixth Man of the Year Los Angeles Clipper Lou Williams is subjected to a 10-day quarantine as announced by the league officials on Sunday.
The Clippers guard left the site with the death of his grandfather as an excuse, but a photo of him at Magic City which is a strip club in Atlanta leaked.
Despite the evidence photo, Williams stated that he was picking up food.
Based on a regular excused absence, and as long as the player tests negative after taking tests for coronavirus on a daily basis while being away, he will be quarantined for a total of only four days. However, in the case of Williams, his actions caused him to be sidelined in two of the eight regular-season games that will begin next week, Yahoo! Sports reported.
If Williams abided to the rules imposed by the league, he will not miss the opening game against their western conference rival Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. But since he breached the rules, he will not only miss the 'Battle of Los Angeles' but also match against the young New Orleans Pelicans.
Doc Rivers, the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers shared in an interview that Williams was back on campus as of Saturday, which means most likely he will end his quarantine on August 3 and will be back on the court against the Phoenix Suns on August 4.
According to Bobby Marks of the ESPN, Williams will also forfeit up to $150,000 of his salary due to his act.
A Trip that Could Cost a Trip to the Finals
On Thursday, the 15-year NBA veteran left the bubble to attend the viewing of his late grandfather, Paul Williams. Based on the report, the viewing ended early at around 6 p.m. but later on his Instagram stories he ended up at a strip club In Atlanta, the Magic City.
Williams' initially stated that it was just an old photo but he then changed the story and admitted that it was him and he is just picking up food on there.
An announcement on Saturday night from the NBA stating that they are further investigating the activities of Williams while being away from the bubble. The result of the investigation will determine the duration of the quarantine that he will be taking. Based on an outside infectious disease specialist, if the player poses a higher risk or chance of acquiring coronavirus while he was away from the bubble, the quarantine period should be extended.
How William's Quarantine Affects Clippers
With a 44-20 record on their belt, the 2nd seed Western conference team Los Angeles Clippers is a great contender for the title if healthy and complete according to analysts, USA Today cited.
The 33-year-old veteran guard, Lou Williams averages 18.7 points, 5.7 assists per outing coming from the bench.
Aside from Williams, other key players for the Clippers are currently under quarantine or away including Patrick Beverley, Montrezl Harrell, Landry Shamet, and Ivica Zubac who is now under a two-day quarantine.
Related article: Lakers Star LeBron James Says Nothing is Normal About 2020
