Lakers stars Dwight Howard and Avery Bradley are believed sympathetic to the suggestion made by Kyrie Irving that resuming the NBA games at a time of social unrest in the United States will distract from the cause. However, reports said the Los Angeles management seemed confident of seeing Howard in Orlando but Bradley remains a question mark.
The likelihood of Howard and Bradley not participating in the season restart of the NBA surfaced following the June 12 online meeting of around 100 members of the NBPA. In that conference, Irving voiced out concerns that playing again is out of place for the league as the country is dealing with systemic racism that African-Americans at a disadvantage.
Irving stated that skipping the Orlando games might be wise and reportedly, he is supported by at least 20 NBPA members, Howard and Bradley including. The NBA said players not wishing to play in the bubble games will be understandable but they need to send on or before June 24, according to Silver Screen & Roll.
The Lakers appeared to believe there is no need to beat that deadline as far as Howard is concerned. It is said that the big man is more likely to join the Purple & Gold in Orlando, per the same report, pointing to a report by The Los Angeles Times.
"There is a belief around the organization that Howard plans to play, while Bradley's plans are less clear," said the quoted report.
It's unknown for now what led the Lakers to conclude on the situation of both Howard and Bradley but the two not joining the team will require adjustments. The stars combine for an average of 20 points per game, which the team will need to fill up heading to Disney World next month, that is if the two would be absent from the games.
From CBS Sports, the latest word from Howard indicated that the All-Star has no plans of disrupting the remaining games of the NBA. The center clarified that his main intention is for people to be aware of the real situation, which he hoped the league would be supportive of.
The report said the Lakers star provided the update through Shams Charania of The Athletic. Howard, however, has yet to answer the big question of him playing as Los Angeles restarts on the quest to win an NBA title after years of frustration.
As for Bradley, CBS said the guard seemed to have given the reason why he would boycott the games, saying his non-participation will "highlight the reality that without black athletes, the NBA wouldn't be what it is today."
And like Howard, Bradley elected not to shed light on the direction he is taking once the NBA games are resumed.
