After the first-round of playoffs have finished inside the NBA bubble, players will be able to start inviting guests to come watch the games and hang out. As to be expected, however, there's a number of restrictions in place to maintain safety inside the bubble.
As ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Twitter, the NBA and NBPA have outlined the guidelines for guests, and they are as follows:
Players will be able to invite four guests, although that number "can be exceeded for children." Additionally, players will be granted one ticket per guest per playoff game, although any child shorter than 32 inches will be allowed a seat as well. Guests will be able to travel via team charters following any required testing, and these same guests will be able to attend the games.
As for family and "established longstanding personal friends," they will be allowed into the bubble. Anyone who is a guest will be able to quarantine for three days in their team's respective market, and then travel to Orlando to quarantine again for four days. Alternatively, they will be able to quarantine for a full week if they choose to travel directly to Orlando.
One particular part of the guidelines have caught the attention of NBA Twitter, though. Certain people will not be able to visit players as guests, with the memo reading, "Any individual the player has not previously met in person or with whom the player has had limited in-person interactions." More bluntly, any contact known through "social media or an intermediary" will not be allowed in.
Players will be required to prove non-family guests have an "established pre-exisiting, personal and known relationship." Each second-round playoff team has been given 17 hotel rooms for guests at the moment, ESPN reports. The earliest guests will be able to join players is Aug. 31, the memo states.
Reactions to the rules have continued to pour in, which is probably why "no IG" is trending on Twitter.
One person who's for conjugal visits is Stephen A. Smith. Watch him argue for the rule below.
