How was Kevin Durant ever cleared to play at all? Once he wasn’t allowed to start, it didn’t make sense to have him finish. All of this talk about protocols & contact tracing just leads to more confusion & frustration as his stats take an unnecessary hit pic.twitter.com/0vOJlMft1R
— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) February 6, 2021
Not much of what happened in, or leading up to the Brooklyn Nets’ game against the Toronto Raptors on Friday night, made much sense. In one of the most bizarre series of events in recent memory, the NBA halted Kevin Durant from playing, then let him play, then forced him to be pulled during the game. Brooklyn went on to lose 123-117.
According to ESPN, Durant came into contact with an “associate” on Friday who tested positive for COVID-19 after returning an inconclusive test before the game.
Somehow, despite not being allowed to participate in warm-ups, or start the game, the NBA allowed Durant to play, with the league releasing the following statement.
“Durant was initially held out of the game while that result was being reviewed. Under the league’s health and safety protocols, we do not require a player to be quarantined until a close contact has a confirmed positive test.”
Durant, sufficed to say, was not happy with the decision, which came after he’d played 19 minutes in the game. He first tweeted, “Free me,” then ripped the league.
Yo @nba, your fans aren’t dumb!!!! You can’t fool em with your Wack ass PR tactics.. #FREE7 https://t.co/78N1iKFAoc
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) February 6, 2021
ESPN reports that Durant won’t travel with the team to Philadelphia and could not miss multiple games.