The Los Angeles Lakers know one person who won't be part of their 35-person travel party to Orlando, Florida for the restart of the NBA season.
Lakers assistant coach Lionel Hollins was determined a "higher-risk individual due to underlying medical conditions," according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
Broderick Turner of the L.A. Times spoke with an anonymous team official who said that Hollins would continue to be an "essential member" of the staff for the Lakers despite not being in attendance and would be "participating remotely."
The 66-year-old Hollins has been an assistant coach in the league since 1988, and was the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies from 2009-2013, and the Brooklyn Nets from 2014-2016. This is his first season with the Lakers.
According to the Times, Hollins was informed by doctors on Wednesday that he would not be able to travel with the team to Orlando. "He understood and was okay with things," said a source in the article. Reportedly, the determination that Hollins was higher-risk did not have to do with his age, but an underlying condition.
For any member of the 35-person travel team to get approval to join the bubble at Disney World, they first had to submit a medical evaluation. The evaluation allows the NBA to determine which people would be considered "higher-risk" should they contract COVID-19.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
The Lakers are scheduled to fly to Orlando on Thursday where they will have to be tested for the coronavirus and quarantine for 48 hours before being allowed to walk around inside the bubble located at Disney World.
