NBA hopefuls take their chances as a virus wave ravages the league.


More than 80 players signed 10-day contracts with NBA teams this season. The coronavirus, especially the Omicron variant, has depleted rosters in the US professional basketball league. a recent decision shorten the required isolation time for some infected players it may help teams get their normal stars back sooner.

The league and players association agreed to grant difficulty exceptions to allow teams to temporarily sign players to fill, even if they don’t have a roster or salary cap. Until at least January 19, teams can sign 10-day contracts with players to replace anyone who tests positive for coronavirus as needed. The league also requires more than one player from 30 teams to sign substitutes if they have a coronavirus infection.

These supplements, with dozens of players testing positive each week, are helping the NBA avoid delaying more games when teams don’t have enough healthy players—it has already done it nine times.

For some basketball pros, this meant the phone call they’ve been waiting for, the opportunity to be seen, or a second chance they’ve never had.

He said, “This is every hooligan’s dream” 26-year-old Zylan Cheatham. Referring to the NBA’s minor league, he added, “You work for it, especially in the G League, where you compete for several years.”

Among the players signing a 10-day contract this month are younger players like Cheatham, who is just a few years out of college; Older players who have spent years hoping for a chance in the G League; NBA veterans who have been out of the league and hope to return, like Lance Stephenson, Isaiah Thomas, and 40-year-old Joe Johnson.

This time, Johnson’s teenage son is part of the fun.

“About a month ago I was like, ‘Daddy, what was I doing while you were playing?’ she asked. ‘You were playing in the back room,’ I said.



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