How the New COVID-19 Variant Swept Through the NBA

Jonathan Liu, Sports Editor|February 10, 2022

As the 2021 pro season began for the NBA in the fall, COVID-19 seemed to be contained as there were no complications with players testing positive, harming their teams, and games being postponed. 

However, the new Omicron variant has been taking the world by storm since early December, and it certainly has affected the NBA.

With the NBA being an indoor sport and teams having to travel day by day to play games mostly every other day, the percentage of players catching the virus increased dramatically. 

By December 20, there were 113 players that were placed in “Health and Safety Protocols” for the season, but 97 of them coming in a three week span of December which mirrored 2020. 

Games began to start being postponed, as players would not have enough players to put out tehre on the court. 

As players were getting infected, so were head coaches, as 15 coaches (50% of the league) had entered protocols at some part of the season. 

As teams were getting hit left and right from positive cases, they needed to fill roster spots somehow to put out a team on the court. 

Teams went to their developmental teams (G league) to pick up younger players to fill out rosters and to give some  real game experience opportunities. 

Teams also used the “hardship exception” which meant they could pick up players from free agency. 

They would be able to do these actions, without releasing current players from their rosters. 

Some players that got another another crack at the league were players such as Lance Stephenson, Joe Johnson, Demarcus Cousins, and Isaiah Thomas. Players such as these being back had fans excited, as they are fan favorite. 

As cases were flooding in around the holiday season, NBA Christmas games took a big hit, as superstar players were sidelined due to being positive. 

Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young and Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant being out diminished the hype around these highly anticipated games that were announced in August.

Star players were out, it affected if fans tuned into their favorite team’s games.

 “My team has been affected by COVID a lot and it has affected their product on the court a lot. When the starters are placed on protocols, I am not as invested but it is still interesting to watch,” said freshman Nick Lancey.