After a hot start to the 2021-22 NBA season, the Washington Wizards have come crashing back to Earth. They were as many as seven games over the .500 mark, starting the season 10-3. They are now 17-17 and sinking in the standings.
Like many teams around the league, the Wizards have begun having players enter the league’s health and safety protocols at an alarming rate. One of the players who entered protocols was superstar Bradley Beal.
Because Beal was unvaccinated, there was no indication of whether he was deemed a close contact, which is possible since so many of his teammates went into protocols, or if he tested positive himself. As an unvaccinated player, he was subject to stricter rules.
Beal entered the health and safety protocols on December 23rd. That would mean he would be sidelined for at least 10 days because of his vaccination status. However, Washington D.C. recently passed a vaccine mandate similar to the ones in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
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As an unvaccinated player, Beal would not have been permitted to enter Capital One Arena as of January 15th, 2022. It is the same situation that the Brooklyn Nets are going to be dealing with as they have welcomed back Kyrie Irving, who is also unvaccinated.
Luckily for the Wizards, they will not have to navigate those waters. According to Ava Wallace of The Washington Post, Beal is in the process of becoming vaccinated. He has changed his mind and has received at least one dose of the vaccine.
While no indication as to when Beal received the first dose has been provided, it is certainly a relief for the organization that he has decided to do so. Making things work with a part-time player that can only participate in games on the road makes for plenty of complications.
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With at least one does, Beal could now test out of protocols sooner, as two negative tests 24 hours apart is enough to exit them. The earliest we can now see Beal back on the court is Thursday, December 30th as the Wizards begin a four-game homestand against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
