© Bill Streicher-USA TODAY SportsBen Simmons and Joel Embiid have been ruled out of the All-Star Game after coming into close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID.
Those looking to see Philadelphia 76ers stars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid go up against one another Sunday evening in Atlanta are going to be disappointed.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported earlier Sunday morning that both stars could miss the NBA All-Star Game after contact tracing showed that they came into contact with an individual who tested positive for COVID-19:
"Philadelphia 76ers teammates Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are uncertain for Sunday's NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta after having contact with a barber, who potentially has contracted the coronavirus, sources told ESPN. The barber, located in the Philadelphia area, tested positive for the coronavirus after undergoing additional testing Sunday because of an inconclusive positive test, sources said."
In a press release early Sunday afternoon, the NBA confirmed that both Simmons and Embiid will not take part in the All-Star festivities in Atlanta.
In addition to this, both will have to be put in quarantine for seven days. This means Simmons and Embiid will miss Philadelphia's first two post-break games against the Chicago Bulls (Thursday) and Washington Wizards (Friday).
This comes on the heels of some drama between the league's top star and the NBA's brass leading into Sunday's game. Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James indicated earlier that he had "zero energy and zero excitement about an All-Star game this year."
Silver responded during his annual NBA All-Star Game press conference:
"It would be incredibly hypocritical of me to tell LeBron you should speak out on issues that are important to you, but not ones when you are critical of the league. We're all part of a community. I respect him and his point of view. But at the same time, I also appreciate his professionalism."
At issue here is the NBA attempting to play a meaningless exhibition game with the COVID-19 pandemic still very much a thing across the United States.
Sure the number of vaccinated people continues to increase. Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are also dropping. With that said, it was just a few months ago that the NBA conducted its resumption in the Orlando bubble at Walt Disney World.
As for James and his Lakers, they are coming off the shortest offseason in modern Association history. Being given a few days off rather than having to perform for the powers that be was a more ideal scenario.
As for the Philadelphia 76ers, this could affect them once the break comes to a conclusion. Under first-year head coach Doc Rivers, Philadelphia finished the "first half" of the season with a 24-12 record and the best record in the Eastern Conference.
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