Kai Sotto, teammates to consult NBA players on playing amid pandemic
MANILA, Philippines — Kai Sotto and his NBA G League teammates will have the chance to talk shop with NBA players inside the bubble about playing amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
To be initiated by NBA G League select team coach Brian Shaw, the conversation will highlight a player's role in promoting a safe environment in the sport during the health crisis.
This is a welcome development especially with a "bubble" plan like the NBA unlikely for the G League because of resource constraints.
"Because there's a lot of money and resources behind the NBA they were allowed to do it the way that they've done it... We, unfortunately, don't have the same type or resources behind the G League that the NBA does so we're not gonna be able to be in a bubble or anything like that," Shaw said in a Zoom call with the Philippine media on Thursday.
"But there are protocols that we have to follow based on where the team is located, based on whatever the officials in our town say... One of the things that I'm gonna do is have some of the players that are in the bubble, put them on a Zoom call and have them talk to some of our players," he said.
Shaw believes that talking with NBA players who had been inside the bubble would be able to teach Sotto and his teammates a lesson that the NBA's successful return was a collaboration — with the players playing a key role.
This type of dedication of staying true to health protocols, and making decisions based on the good of the league, would be what Sotto and the rest of the select team would also need to do.
"The NBA players had to do their part, as well. They had to quarantine, they had to make sure that they weren't going around a lot of people, that they were social distancing and wearing masks and doing all of those types of things," Shaw said.
"Our players are gonna have a lot more freedom than the NBA players in the bubble but they're gonna have to do their part in order to stay COVID-free and even be allowed to practice the way we want to practice," he added.
While uncertainty clouds the NBA G League calendar in the imminent future, a talk with players with first-hand experience in playing under the circumstances will surely help ease Sotto and his teammates' worries.
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