NBA Bubble Hotline Received 'Multiple Tips' for Violations in Orlando
In order to keep the restart of the 2019-2020 NBA season going, players need to follow strict rules and safety guidelines to ensure everybody remains healthy and steers clear of COVID-19 as the pandemic remains a threat to the country.
The NBA has made the rules for within the Orlando bubble very clear to coaches and players, but it's understandably hard to have everybody follow the rules all the time. Therefore, the NBA created an anonymous hotline for players, coaches, and staffers to use to report any wrongdoing by others from within the bubble.
On Monday, The Athletic's NBA Insider Shams Charania reported that the hotline wasn't utilized at all for the first few days. On Tuesday, however, that changed. According to Charania, "multiple tips have been placed into the NBA's anonymous hotline to report protocol violations on campus."
After a few tips have been sent in, Shams Charania reports that "some players have received warnings from violations." It's unclear which players were notified, and what they did exactly, but the report hints that it might have something to do with failing to comply with social distancing and mask protocols while on campus.
This news comes just one day after Sacramento Kings center Richaun Holmes admitted to leaving the NBA's bubble to pick up a food delivery. Because of his inability to remain within the boundaries of the bubble, Holmes now has to spend ten days in his room, quarantining in case he somehow contracted the virus.
Further violations won't shut the NBA down -- even if somebody contracts the virus. But the latest series of events shows just how serious the NBA is with keeping players safe from contracting any illness throughout the remainder of the season.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_