Lebron James frustrated after false positive COVID test
Los Angeles Lakers star player LeBron James was unhappy in his recent Covid-19 issue in the NBA health and safety protocols. The NBA star said he was “confused, frustrated, and angry”, in an interview after his comeback game in the Lakers vs LA Clippers. They lost to the Clippers at 119-115 on Friday night.
James couldn’t help but open up about his reasons of annoyance at that tumultuous week. Which caused his isolation and missing a game after a false COVID-19 test.
James said, “I haven’t been able to do anything. I’ve been sitting in the house since I got back Monday evening all the way until I got cleared at like 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon. This morning was the first time I actually got the opportunity to touch a basketball since Sunday’s game vs. Detroit.”
LeBron James blasts the COVID-19 protocols the NBA currently has in place 👀 pic.twitter.com/TzcAxuPHWO
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) December 4, 2021
He also added that he never doubted he would be cleared to return. “I knew I was going to get cleared because I never, ever felt sick. At All. And I know you can be asymptomatic, but, I mean, if what I had was a positive COVID test, then what are you doing? What are we talking about? So, I just thought it was handled very poorly.” His intense but balanced workout routine is clear proof how healthy the star player is.
According to the LA Lakers star, he first tested negative on Tuesday and then registered positive in a follow-up test. After Thanksgiving, the league re-ordered more testing to its teams. As they’re looking into possible positive results as the players mingled with family and friends during the holiday.
Frustration over indefinite protocols
James said, “Usually when you have a positive test, they’ll test you right away to make sure. There was not a follow-up test after my positive test. It was straight to isolation and you’ve been put into a protocol. That’s the part that kind of angered me. I had to figure out a way to get home from Sacramento by myself. They wouldn’t allow anyone to travel with me, no security, no anything, when I traveled back from Sacramento.”
Although the Lakers said on Tuesday that they had organized LeBron James’ travel to return home. However, it wasn’t the reason for the star players’ irritation.
LeBron James has been tested rigorously since returning to L.A. from Sacramento – he’s had eight Covid tests since Saturday, all of which have come back negative, sources told ESPN. His test in Sacramento was a false positive and James will return to the court Friday against LAC
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 2, 2021
“And then I had to put my kids in isolation, for the time being, the people in my household in isolation, so it was just a big-time inconvenience. That was the anger part.”
Before James was cleared to come back in the games on Thursday, he still underwent a series of PCR tests. His second negative PCR test within 24 hours was his ticket to returning in the lineup.
Although the league never required its players to get vaccinated, they are requiring stricter testing protocols and social-distancing rules. Especially to those who are unvaccinated. The NBA will begin the same protocols later this month regarding COVID-19 booster shots.
When asked if he had already received a booster shot and if the process he had gone through the past few days changed his mind in getting the shot, James gave a straight-out answer.
“No, this process we’ve all been doing exactly what the protocols have told us to do and taking the tests and things of that nature.” He added, “ It’s unfortunate when you get a false positive and you get put right into isolation. That’s just the unfortunate part. But we’ll see what happens.”
Just in: Lakers star LeBron James has been cleared from health and safety protocols to return on Friday vs. Clippers, after testing positive but since registering multiple negative COVID-19 tests, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 2, 2021
Missed games
As James admitted, the recent happenings of his stop-and-go this season affected his rhythm. If you can recall, he played in the first three games of Lakers then missed two games due to his ankle injury. Moreover, he was able to play in the next three games only to miss the next eight games because of an abdominal strain.
After that, he played another two games before missing the next due to his suspension. Which was his first in the whole 19 years of his basketball career. Then he was able to play three more games before missing their games vs the Kings.
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James said, “It’s been very frustrating either dealing with the groin or the abdomen and having to deal with the false positive that knocked me out of a game, then knocked me off the floor and not being able to keep my rhythm. It’s just, it’s been a very challenging year to start a fourth of the season for myself. But, only good things ahead.”
Despite the player’s frustrations, James never bad-mouthed the NBA protocols as a whole. He even complimented the way the league handled the pandemic situation. He just felt that the rules weren’t consistent in Sacramento. His obvious frustration is over missing another game.
He said, “I think they’ve (NBA) done a great job since the protocols were put into place. I just think the way it was handled in Sacramento was a little different. I will say that. But from a league standpoint, they’ve done a hell of a job.”
