Los Angeles Lakers guard Avery Bradley has made a final decision on his future with the team this season. Bradley has decided he will sit out the rest of the season and won’t be attending the bubble location in Orlando, where the league is set to return next month with 22 teams playing eight games to define the playoff picture.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Bradley based his decision on the health of his family. He has three kids and his six-year-old son has a history of respiratory illnesses. Knowing all the risks and complications his son would have if Avery gets infected by COVID-19, he decided to see the rest of the season from home while taking care of other issues.
“As committed to my Lakers teammates and the organization as I am, I ultimately play basketball for my family,” Bradley said, via Wojnarowski. “And so, at a time like this, I can’t imagine making any decision that might put my family’s health and well-being at even the slightest risk.
“As promised also, I will use this time away to focus on the formation of projects to help strengthen my communities.”
Bradley has also been one of the players talking about racial injustice and police brutality. He could use this time off to focus on that as well.
Now the Lakers have to find a new player to replace Bradley or fill another position on the roster. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Alex Caruso and Rajon Rondo will have bigger roles in the absence of Bradley.
The former Boston Celtic was one of the most important players for the Lakers this season and his defense will be very missed in Orlando. The team needs him to win the championship but now they’ll have to find a different way or a different player.
