LeBron James will not be suspended after attending an event to promote his tequila brand, which was a violation of the league’s health and safety protocol.
“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,” an NBA spokesman said.
James was at the event alongside other big names, such as Drake and Michael B. Jordan. All attendees were reportedly required to provide proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test.
James has publicly declined to disclose whether or not he has been vaccinated, something which he is well within his rights to do. However, teammate Dennis Schroder recently told a German news outlet that he and James were the only players not vaccinated on the team. Schroder later rescinded his statements, saying that he was the only Laker not to get the vaccination.
Los Angeles has yet to reach the 85% threshold for team vaccinations, something that would allow players and personnel to have loosened COVID-19 safety restrictions. The Lakers would need 15 of 17 players to get the vaccine in order to have this apply.