NBA Legend Implies League Bent Its COVID-19 Rules For LeBron James

Charles Barkley has made a bold claim about the NBA’s decision to not suspend LeBron James after violating pandemic protocols.

Despite having learned that James violated the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols by attending a recent event for Lobos 1707 tequila, a spirit in which he is an investor, the league has decided not to hand the Lakers star a 10- to 14-day quarantine.

“The nature of the event didn't rise to a threat level of virus spread,” unnamed sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Discussing his thoughts on the subject, famed NBA analyst Barkley implied that the NBA made the decision because the person involved was James rather than a “nobody” in the sport.

“I love Adam Silver, rest in peace David Stern [but] the NBA ain’t got the balls to suspend LeBron James,” Barkley told Yahoo Sports. “If it was a nobody, they would put him in health and safety protocols. [But] Ain't no f------ way LeBron James is going to be sit out because of health and safety protocols."

According to the modified health and safety protocols the NBA sent to teams on March 17, “a fully-vaccinated player is permitted to appear at an event to fulfill his individual commitment to a sponsor,” USA Today reported.

In James’ case, it isn’t confirmed whether he is “fully vaccinated” when he attended the said event.

Instead, the four-time NBA MVP just brushed it all off and insisted none of it makes sense to him.

“it’s not a big deal,” James said on Friday when asked whether he received the COVID-19 vaccine.

“Anything I do off the floor is predicated to my family for the majority or 99.9% of that,” he explained. “It’s about the health and safety of my family. That’s what it came down to. Being available to my teammates on the floor is about taking care of my body and me doing everything I can to make sure I’m available both mentally, physically and spiritually as well. But anything of that nature is all family talk.”

The NBA, on the other hand, suggested that James’ case, though clearly a violation, was already addressed by the parties concerned.

“It's a violation of the agreed upon protocols, and, as we have in other comparable instances around the league, it has been addressed with the team," a league spokesman said.

The Lakers are scheduled to face the Phoenix Suns Sunday afternoon in Game 1 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs.