LeBron James violated NBA protocol at photoshoot with Drake, Michael B. Jordan

LeBron James violated NBA protocol to attend a photoshoot with Drake and Michael B. Jordan.

In the days leading up to the Los Angeles Lakers‘ playoff run, superstar forward LeBron James violated the NBA‘s COVID-19 protocol.

ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported the violation late on Friday night and into the wee hours of Saturday morning. The violation stems from James attending a promotional event in the lead-up to the Lakers’ play-in tournament game vs. the Golden State Warriors. The event was to promote a tequila brand. Celebrities such as Drake and Michael B. Jordan were in attendance at the event.

McMenamin’s ESPN colleague Adrian Wojnarowski later reported James will not be suspended for violating the NBA’s protocol, “as the nature of the event didn’t rise to a threat level of virus spread.”

LeBron James violates NBA protocol to attend a tequila promotional event

While the event in question may have been deemed too minor to spread the coronavirus, the NBA not suspending James only further plays into the preferential treatment of the league’s stars under Adam Silver’s commissionership. One would believe just about any other player outside of the face of the league would have faced harsh consequences for committing this type of violation.

James has neither confirmed or denied if he has had a COVID-19 vaccination. While his teammate Dennis Schröder has stated he has not received one, and had to go into quarantine for 10 days for testing positive, he is not the only Lakers player to not have received a vaccine. This is because the Lakers are one of the teams below the 85-percent vaccinated threshold, so 15 out of 17 players.

James and the Lakers will face the division rival Phoenix Suns in a best-of-seven, first-round series beginning on Sunday afternoon in Phoenix. While the Suns have had their best season in over a decade, the seventh-seeded Lakers are the presumptive favorite to advance in the Western Conference Playoffs. Assuming the Lakers have their health, they can repeat as NBA champions.

Expect this story to be a major talking point throughout the next week by the national media.