The National Basketball Association has confirmed the rescheduling of 11 NBA games that were postponed as a result of a surge in COVID-19 cases across the United States and Canada. In total, 21 games will need to be rescheduled, with eight games being affected by the need to reschedule the aforementioned games while two more are scheduled to be played at a different time on the same day.

Nineteen teams are affected by the postponements, with the Toronto Raptors awaiting the adjustment of six games. Several teams will face the prospect of playing multiple games within a severely short timeframe. All of the rescheduled games are set to take place from Sunday, January 9th until Monday the 31st.

Since the outbreak of the omicron variant, over 100 NBA players and numerous head coaches have tested positive for coronavirus. This is in spite of the added health protocols that have been enforced by the league in an effort to suppress the spread of the virus.

In addition to rescheduling the aforementioned games, the NBA will also do its best to accommodate teams by enabling teams to recruit additional players on a short terms basis should they lack the required number of available players in order to proceed with a match.

The post 11 NBA Games Rescheduled Due to COVID-19 Surge appeared first on SportzBonanza.

A game between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs has been canceled, the NBA confirmed. This comes after the Heat were unable to meet the league’s requirement of fielding a minimum of eight players.

While the Heat managed to field exactly eight players during their win against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night, their list of unavailable players grew as more players either tested positive for COVID-19 or incurred physical injuries.

Following Tuesday night’s game, Gabe Vincent tested positive for coronavirus and is thus no longer available. Jimmy Butler, who sprained his right ankle during the closing minutes of the Wizards game, remains unavailable through injury while KZ Okpala sustained an injury on Tuesday as well.

In an effort to make up the numbers for the game against the Spurs, Miami attempted to recruit players from the Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s G League affiliate, due to their close proximity to the arena that would host the game.

Miami is not alone in its struggle to maintain a fully active squad amidst the spread of COVID-19. Currently, 119 players in the NBA find themselves in isolation after testing positive, while referees have needed to resort to following COVID-19 protocols as well.

The post Heat-Spurs Game Postponed Following Covid and Injury Crisis appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has returned to training sessions with his team for the first time since the preseason. This comes after the Nets decided to exclude him due to his status as being unvaccinated against COVID-19. Irving expressed his gratitude for being able to return to practice while explaining that he understands the team’s decision to exclude him because of New York’s vaccine mandate.

In the opinion of coach Steve Nash, Irving will need one to two weeks of training in order to be ready to perform in a game on the road. Irving will continue to be unable to play home games, with the Barclays Center still being under the local mandate that stipulates that players must be vaccinated in order to play there.

Irving expressed his delight at rejoining his teammates on the practice court, explaining: “It’s my first day back around the block with the guys, and it felt like it’s been a long time. It’s only been, what, three months or so. But it has felt like the days have been slowly crossed off the calendar while I am sitting at home.”

The post Kyrie Irving Returns To Training For First Time This Season appeared first on SportzBonanza.

New York City mayor-elect Eric Adams confirmed on Friday that the city’s current COVID-19 vaccination mandate will remain in place during his leadership. As a result, Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving will remain unable to play games at the Barclays Center given his current vaccination status.

The current vaccination mandate stipulates that athletes are required to undergo at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine in order to be eligible to participate at an indoor sports facility within New York City. In addition to home games for the Nets, Irving is ineligible to play at the Madison Square Garden, home of the New York Knicks.

Following this update, Adams implored Irving and the NBA to come to an understanding on how to move forward. “New York City is not going to change their rule. And again, it is up to the NBA and Kyrie to come to a full understanding on how to keep him on the Nets and to continue to look at all of our athletes that are coming here.”

While the league has not established a vaccine mandate of its own, the NBA is complying with the local vaccine mandate of New York City during games that are played in the area.

The post Kyrie Irving Gametime Compromised With Vaccine Mandate appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Brooklyn Nets confirmed that All-Star guard Kyrie Irving will not be permitted to play or practice with the team until such time as he complies with the local COVID-19 vaccination mandate enforced by New York City. Previously, the unvaccinated player was still permitted to play away games.

According to the New York City mandate, all professional athletes are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to practice or play in public venues within the city limits. The Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets, falls under the jurisdiction of this rule.

General Manager Sean Marks released the following statement on the matter: “Given the evolving nature of the situation and after thorough deliberation, we have decided Kyrie Irving will not play or practice with the team until he is eligible to be a full participant. Kyrie has made a personal choice, and we respect his individual right to choose. Currently, the choice restricts his ability to be a full-time member of the team, and we will not permit any member of our team to participate with part-time availability.”

While Irving did participate in an outdoor practice with the Nets on Saturday, he was unable to appear in the team’s exhibition game against Philadelphia on Monday.

The post Nets Prevent Kyrie Irving From Practicing Due to Vaccine Issue appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Kyrie Irving will be allowed to return to training with the Brooklyn Nets despite being unvaccinated against COVID-19, sources confirmed. He will still, however, not be able to appear in matches played at the Nets’ home arena due to the local vaccine mandate imposed by New York City.

The reason for Irving’s ability to attend training is because the Nets’ practice facility, the HSS Training Center, is categorized as a “private office building” rather than an indoor sporting facility where the vaccine mandate applies.

Prior to the Nets’ preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks, coach Steve Nash made the following revelation: “It sounds like we may have Kyrie on the road with us, but I’m not sure he’ll be playing, since we haven’t seen him for a week, and obviously safety first. Not going to have a huge risk of injury, but a lot to be worked through. We’re just getting information at the same time you guys are, so we’ll see [what happens].”

Due to existing COVID-19 health regulations, Irving has been unable to represent the Brooklyn Nets on the court since the team’s return from a training camp in San Diego, where they prepared for their preseason opener against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

The post Kyrie Irving Returns to Practice With Brooklyn Nets appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After a long tenure of strict COVID-19-induced health regulations, sports teams located within the Canadian province of Ontario will be allowed to host full capacity crowds in their arenas going forward after being permitted to do so by the provincial government.

Announced by Ontario Sports Minister Lisa MacLeod on Friday, this new regulation will affect the NHL teams of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators as well as the NBA’s Toronto Raptors. This eased ruling has already taken effect.

While the number of attendees permitted at indoor sports events has been increased by the province of Ontario, there are still a number of health guidelines that will be strictly enforced on gamedays. This includes the requirement for all attendees to produce proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to gain access to the facility.

Following this latest ruling, the Vancouver Canucks are the last remaining NHL team that is not permitted to host a full-capacity crowd at home games. Currently, the province of British Columbia only allows for indoor crowds to reach a maximum of 50% capacity.

The post Ontario Sports Teams Permitted to Host Capacity Crowds appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr announced after practice on Sunday that Andrew Wiggins received a COVID-19 vaccination. As a result, Wiggins will be permitted to participate in home games because of complying with local San Francisco vaccine requirements.

The San Francisco Dept. of Public Health recently ruled that anyone over the age of 12 would be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to attend indoor events.

The topic of Wiggins’ vaccination came into question before training camp, before an escalation on the Warriors’ training day when Wiggins shut down reporters by explaining that vaccination was his issue to deal with, not theirs, particularly as it pertained to his loss of income.

Before his vaccination, Wiggins appealed to the NBA for a religious exemption which was ultimately denied.

When questioned about which vaccine he received, Wiggins refused to answer the question, explaining: “I’m not answering any of those questions. We’re done. It’s happened. That’s all anybody needs to know. We can talk about practice or games.”

Coach Steve Kerr confirmed that Wiggins, Draymond Green, and Steph Curry are all among those who will start the opening preseason game against the Portland Trail Blazers.

The post Andrew Wiggins Permitted to Play Following Vaccination appeared first on SportzBonanza.

New York Knicks general manager Scott Perry revealed on Friday that his entire organization, including players and other staff members, have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Due to this act, the Knicks will remain in full compliance with New York City’s coronavirus vaccine mandate for sports and other indoor events this season.

“I think it’s a credit to our players, in particular, that they took this thing very seriously and took the responsibility to get that done,” Perry stated during a sit down at the Knicks’ practice facility.

On September 13th, New York City issued an executive order stating that anyone over the age of 12 years would only be allowed into “certain covered premises” in the city if they are able to provide proof that they had been administered with at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, except in the case of the possession of a medical or religious exemption.

While this rule is not being enforced by the NBA itself, the organization did warn teams that they would still have to comply with the local COVID-19 vaccine mandates enforced by their home cities, such as New York City and San Francisco. The Knicks next face the Indiana Pacers in a preseason game on October 6th.

The post New York Knicks Entire Organization Fully Vaccinated appeared first on SportzBonanza.

TD Garden, the multi-purpose arena in Boston that is home to the Boston Celtics, will enforce strict entry requirements for anyone hoping to attend any event at the stadium. As the result of COVID-19 concerns, attendees will have to present either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result in order to gain access.

In terms of vaccination, only fully vaccinated attendees will be allowed entry. In order to be fully vaccinated, 14 days must have passed since the attendee’s second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine or the only shot of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

For unvaccinated attendees, a negative COVID-19 antigen or molecular/PCR test result will be required for entry, either in digital or paper form. Any at-home rapid antigen test results will not be sufficient.

According to the president of TD Garden Amy Latimer, the goal of this strict requirement is to keep everyone safe amid the pandemic. These regulations apply to anyone seeking access to TD Garden, including players, referees, coaches, musicians, vendors, and ushers.

The above guidelines do not apply to attendees under the age of 12. Such attendees, however, will still be required to wear masks inside the arena.

The post TD Garden Imposes New COVID-19 Entry Requirements appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The National Basketball Association has confirmed the rescheduling of 11 NBA games that were postponed as a result of a surge in COVID-19 cases across the United States and Canada. In total, 21 games will need to be rescheduled, with eight games being affected by the need to reschedule the aforementioned games while two more are scheduled to be played at a different time on the same day.

Nineteen teams are affected by the postponements, with the Toronto Raptors awaiting the adjustment of six games. Several teams will face the prospect of playing multiple games within a severely short timeframe. All of the rescheduled games are set to take place from Sunday, January 9th until Monday the 31st.

Since the outbreak of the omicron variant, over 100 NBA players and numerous head coaches have tested positive for coronavirus. This is in spite of the added health protocols that have been enforced by the league in an effort to suppress the spread of the virus.

In addition to rescheduling the aforementioned games, the NBA will also do its best to accommodate teams by enabling teams to recruit additional players on a short terms basis should they lack the required number of available players in order to proceed with a match.

The post 11 NBA Games Rescheduled Due to COVID-19 Surge appeared first on SportzBonanza.

A game between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs has been canceled, the NBA confirmed. This comes after the Heat were unable to meet the league’s requirement of fielding a minimum of eight players.

While the Heat managed to field exactly eight players during their win against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night, their list of unavailable players grew as more players either tested positive for COVID-19 or incurred physical injuries.

Following Tuesday night’s game, Gabe Vincent tested positive for coronavirus and is thus no longer available. Jimmy Butler, who sprained his right ankle during the closing minutes of the Wizards game, remains unavailable through injury while KZ Okpala sustained an injury on Tuesday as well.

In an effort to make up the numbers for the game against the Spurs, Miami attempted to recruit players from the Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s G League affiliate, due to their close proximity to the arena that would host the game.

Miami is not alone in its struggle to maintain a fully active squad amidst the spread of COVID-19. Currently, 119 players in the NBA find themselves in isolation after testing positive, while referees have needed to resort to following COVID-19 protocols as well.

The post Heat-Spurs Game Postponed Following Covid and Injury Crisis appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has returned to training sessions with his team for the first time since the preseason. This comes after the Nets decided to exclude him due to his status as being unvaccinated against COVID-19. Irving expressed his gratitude for being able to return to practice while explaining that he understands the team’s decision to exclude him because of New York’s vaccine mandate.

In the opinion of coach Steve Nash, Irving will need one to two weeks of training in order to be ready to perform in a game on the road. Irving will continue to be unable to play home games, with the Barclays Center still being under the local mandate that stipulates that players must be vaccinated in order to play there.

Irving expressed his delight at rejoining his teammates on the practice court, explaining: “It’s my first day back around the block with the guys, and it felt like it’s been a long time. It’s only been, what, three months or so. But it has felt like the days have been slowly crossed off the calendar while I am sitting at home.”

The post Kyrie Irving Returns To Training For First Time This Season appeared first on SportzBonanza.

New York City mayor-elect Eric Adams confirmed on Friday that the city’s current COVID-19 vaccination mandate will remain in place during his leadership. As a result, Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving will remain unable to play games at the Barclays Center given his current vaccination status.

The current vaccination mandate stipulates that athletes are required to undergo at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine in order to be eligible to participate at an indoor sports facility within New York City. In addition to home games for the Nets, Irving is ineligible to play at the Madison Square Garden, home of the New York Knicks.

Following this update, Adams implored Irving and the NBA to come to an understanding on how to move forward. “New York City is not going to change their rule. And again, it is up to the NBA and Kyrie to come to a full understanding on how to keep him on the Nets and to continue to look at all of our athletes that are coming here.”

While the league has not established a vaccine mandate of its own, the NBA is complying with the local vaccine mandate of New York City during games that are played in the area.

The post Kyrie Irving Gametime Compromised With Vaccine Mandate appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Brooklyn Nets confirmed that All-Star guard Kyrie Irving will not be permitted to play or practice with the team until such time as he complies with the local COVID-19 vaccination mandate enforced by New York City. Previously, the unvaccinated player was still permitted to play away games.

According to the New York City mandate, all professional athletes are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to practice or play in public venues within the city limits. The Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets, falls under the jurisdiction of this rule.

General Manager Sean Marks released the following statement on the matter: “Given the evolving nature of the situation and after thorough deliberation, we have decided Kyrie Irving will not play or practice with the team until he is eligible to be a full participant. Kyrie has made a personal choice, and we respect his individual right to choose. Currently, the choice restricts his ability to be a full-time member of the team, and we will not permit any member of our team to participate with part-time availability.”

While Irving did participate in an outdoor practice with the Nets on Saturday, he was unable to appear in the team’s exhibition game against Philadelphia on Monday.

The post Nets Prevent Kyrie Irving From Practicing Due to Vaccine Issue appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Kyrie Irving will be allowed to return to training with the Brooklyn Nets despite being unvaccinated against COVID-19, sources confirmed. He will still, however, not be able to appear in matches played at the Nets’ home arena due to the local vaccine mandate imposed by New York City.

The reason for Irving’s ability to attend training is because the Nets’ practice facility, the HSS Training Center, is categorized as a “private office building” rather than an indoor sporting facility where the vaccine mandate applies.

Prior to the Nets’ preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks, coach Steve Nash made the following revelation: “It sounds like we may have Kyrie on the road with us, but I’m not sure he’ll be playing, since we haven’t seen him for a week, and obviously safety first. Not going to have a huge risk of injury, but a lot to be worked through. We’re just getting information at the same time you guys are, so we’ll see [what happens].”

Due to existing COVID-19 health regulations, Irving has been unable to represent the Brooklyn Nets on the court since the team’s return from a training camp in San Diego, where they prepared for their preseason opener against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

The post Kyrie Irving Returns to Practice With Brooklyn Nets appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After a long tenure of strict COVID-19-induced health regulations, sports teams located within the Canadian province of Ontario will be allowed to host full capacity crowds in their arenas going forward after being permitted to do so by the provincial government.

Announced by Ontario Sports Minister Lisa MacLeod on Friday, this new regulation will affect the NHL teams of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators as well as the NBA’s Toronto Raptors. This eased ruling has already taken effect.

While the number of attendees permitted at indoor sports events has been increased by the province of Ontario, there are still a number of health guidelines that will be strictly enforced on gamedays. This includes the requirement for all attendees to produce proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to gain access to the facility.

Following this latest ruling, the Vancouver Canucks are the last remaining NHL team that is not permitted to host a full-capacity crowd at home games. Currently, the province of British Columbia only allows for indoor crowds to reach a maximum of 50% capacity.

The post Ontario Sports Teams Permitted to Host Capacity Crowds appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr announced after practice on Sunday that Andrew Wiggins received a COVID-19 vaccination. As a result, Wiggins will be permitted to participate in home games because of complying with local San Francisco vaccine requirements.

The San Francisco Dept. of Public Health recently ruled that anyone over the age of 12 would be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to attend indoor events.

The topic of Wiggins’ vaccination came into question before training camp, before an escalation on the Warriors’ training day when Wiggins shut down reporters by explaining that vaccination was his issue to deal with, not theirs, particularly as it pertained to his loss of income.

Before his vaccination, Wiggins appealed to the NBA for a religious exemption which was ultimately denied.

When questioned about which vaccine he received, Wiggins refused to answer the question, explaining: “I’m not answering any of those questions. We’re done. It’s happened. That’s all anybody needs to know. We can talk about practice or games.”

Coach Steve Kerr confirmed that Wiggins, Draymond Green, and Steph Curry are all among those who will start the opening preseason game against the Portland Trail Blazers.

The post Andrew Wiggins Permitted to Play Following Vaccination appeared first on SportzBonanza.

New York Knicks general manager Scott Perry revealed on Friday that his entire organization, including players and other staff members, have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Due to this act, the Knicks will remain in full compliance with New York City’s coronavirus vaccine mandate for sports and other indoor events this season.

“I think it’s a credit to our players, in particular, that they took this thing very seriously and took the responsibility to get that done,” Perry stated during a sit down at the Knicks’ practice facility.

On September 13th, New York City issued an executive order stating that anyone over the age of 12 years would only be allowed into “certain covered premises” in the city if they are able to provide proof that they had been administered with at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, except in the case of the possession of a medical or religious exemption.

While this rule is not being enforced by the NBA itself, the organization did warn teams that they would still have to comply with the local COVID-19 vaccine mandates enforced by their home cities, such as New York City and San Francisco. The Knicks next face the Indiana Pacers in a preseason game on October 6th.

The post New York Knicks Entire Organization Fully Vaccinated appeared first on SportzBonanza.

TD Garden, the multi-purpose arena in Boston that is home to the Boston Celtics, will enforce strict entry requirements for anyone hoping to attend any event at the stadium. As the result of COVID-19 concerns, attendees will have to present either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result in order to gain access.

In terms of vaccination, only fully vaccinated attendees will be allowed entry. In order to be fully vaccinated, 14 days must have passed since the attendee’s second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine or the only shot of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

For unvaccinated attendees, a negative COVID-19 antigen or molecular/PCR test result will be required for entry, either in digital or paper form. Any at-home rapid antigen test results will not be sufficient.

According to the president of TD Garden Amy Latimer, the goal of this strict requirement is to keep everyone safe amid the pandemic. These regulations apply to anyone seeking access to TD Garden, including players, referees, coaches, musicians, vendors, and ushers.

The above guidelines do not apply to attendees under the age of 12. Such attendees, however, will still be required to wear masks inside the arena.

The post TD Garden Imposes New COVID-19 Entry Requirements appeared first on SportzBonanza.