LeBron James #23, Dwight Howard #39, Anthony Davis #3 and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope #1 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrate against Memphis Grizzlies during the second half at Staples Center on October 29, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Calls to the NBA’s anonymous tipline for quarantine protocol violations have reportedly pointed fingers at Dwight Howard.
On Monday, Chris Haynes of Yahoo! reported that there had essentially been no calls to an anonymous hotline the NBA had set up inside the bubble, for personnel to report suspected violations of on-site protocols. Less than 36 hours later, a conflicting report from Sham Charania came out, saying that there had been numerous tips, the league was investigating incidents and that several players had received warnings.
Speculation immediately buzzed about who the snitches were, with plenty of good-natured ribbing directed towards noted stickler Chris Paul. He didn’t hear details about who had actually been reported to the league, but Dwight Howard has outed himself as one of the targets.
Why was Dwight Howard reported to the NBA’s anonymous tip line?
Last night, Scoop B tweeted that Howard said he had been reported for not wearing a mask. It’s not clear where Howard was supposed to be wearing a mask but didn’t. Presumably, this kind of violation warrants a warning from the league and no further action but it’s nice to see that the league is actively and rapidly working to enforce the protocols they’ve set in place.
Howard was a late arrival in Orlando, taking his time to decide whether or not sequestering in Orlando would distract from his work advocating for racial justice and police reform. He ultimately decided to join his team and try and leverage the increased attention that comes from playing but Howard also announced that he would be donating his remaining salary for the season to charity.
The Lakers have been tagged as championship favorites by Vegas and several statistical projection models. Howard is mostly a complementary player at this point in his career but he provides some much-needed depth for a team that is already without Avery Bradley and Rajon Rondo.