LeBron James was called out for attending a big party that Drake and Michael B. Jordan were at. This drew controversy and some were worried that King James would be suspended or have to face a 10 to 14 day quarantine. That didn’t happen and he was able to play in the Lakers’ opening Playoff game against the Suns.

Dallas Mavericks forward Kristaps Porzingis was recently fined $50,000 for going to a club on May 23rd. That caused a lot of fans to ask why Kristaps was fined, but LeBron walked away without any kind of slap on the wrist.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania received a statement from the NBA which explains why LeBron James was not suspended for violating COVID-19 protocol, but Dallas Mavericks forward Kristaps Porzingis was fined. 

“While we understand the inclination to compare this incident to protocol violations by other players, including LeBron James, those facts are very different. LeBron briefly attended an outdoor event related to an individual commercial activity where everyone was either required to be vaccinated or return a negative COVID test. The league reviews each potential protocol violation on a case-by-case basis, and determines quarantines and imposes discipline based on the individual facts and circumstances of each matter.”

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Charles Barkley was quick to call out the NBA for playing favorites. He said anyone else would have been suspended for attending that party. It looks like the NBA has certain criteria that LeBron James didn’t check off.

We’ll have to see how the NBA Playoffs turn out for everyone involved. It’s a good idea to keep all partying at home in the meantime, because those players will have a microscope on them from this point on.

Do you think it’s fair that LeBron James wasn’t even fined for attending that party? Sound off in the comments!

Tags: LeBron James
H Jenkins

Years of experience in writing, journalism, and digging exclusive insider info for Ringside News opened the door for a new opportunity for Jenkins. With a history in finance, he broke into the journalism game by writing on blogs and other freelance websites before branching into sports and entertainment news. Being in tune with pop culture doesn't mean it has to make sense, but he tries. Favorite bands include any group from Seattle who formed between 1991 and 1999. 5 Ozzfests under his belt and 12 Warped Tours, but his last concert was a bluegrass AC/DC cover band that was not 100% terrible.

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