According to reports, Phoneix Suns' point guard Chris Paul has entered the NBA's COVID-19 health and safety protocols. A person close to the situation said on Wednesday (June 16) that right now, it's unclear whether he'll be cleared and available in time for the start of the Western Conference finals next week.
The Athletic's Shams Charania first reported that Paul will be sidelined for "an indefinite period of time." The anonymous source close to the situation told The Associated Press that The Suns are not exactly certain right now how long Paul will have to be away from the team.
Neither Paul nor the team has released an official announcement regarding the situation yet. It's also unclear right now whether Paul is vaccinated. Depending on the results of the other West semifinal game between the LA Clippers and Utah, the earliest the West finals could begin is Sunday.
The likely start date of Game 1 of the West series is on Tuesday, however. The NBA notably eased up some of the protocols that were in place during the NBA Bubble at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in March. At the time, the association did caution however that "if an individual has symptoms consistent with COVID-19, the previous protocols apply."
This would mean that anyone would those symptoms "may be subject to quarantine" even if they're vaccinated. The COVID vaccine has been known to have side effects that mimic symptoms of the virus. We'll keep you updated on Paul's status as new developments surface.
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