The first thing to know is that Avery Bradley wanted to play in the bubble. Not in the beginning. Not when he feared going to Orlando meant he wouldn’t be able to protect his family from the coronavirus.
But eventually.
“Once you hear zero cases, zero cases, zero cases, you’re like, ‘OK, maybe this is something that I can do,” the Lakers guard said on Thursday, adding, “I was prepared mentally and physically.”
However, the NBA’s extensive planning to safely restart the 2019-20 NBA season at the height of the pandemic did not include an option for players who formally opted out of the resumption to change their minds and join their teams late at Disney World.
“If the NBA made a rule to where we could have come later, which I wish they did,” Bradley said, “I would have come once I felt comfortable enough seeing the bubble doing well.”
Back for a second stint with the Lakers after being claimed off waivers earlier this week, Bradley spoke to The Athletic about his journey back to the franchise after the painful decision to opt out of the bubble two seasons ago.
Through March 11, 2020, Bradley had started 44 games in the backcourt for the Lakers and had established himself as the team’s most important on-ball defender. Coach Frank Vogel deployed him to hound all of the best guards in the league: Damian Lillard,
