Zion Williamson leaves NBA bubble due to "urgent" family matter

Less than two weeks before the official restart of the NBA's 2019-2020 season, one of the most anticipated stars, New Orleans Pelicans rookie sensation Zion Williamson, left the NBA bubble in Orlando because of an urgent family matter.

Williamson left the bubble on Thursday morning due to a family member's urgent medical emergency, but announced that he intends to rejoin the team at a later date. The Pelicans organisation respects Williamson's decision and will not comment further on the issue.

Based on the adjusted rules of the bubble, Williamson will need to submit to daily coronavirus testing and will be in quarantine for at least four days upon his return. The length of the quarantine will ultimately depend on how many days the Rookie player will be out of the bubble. ESPN reports that Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said that the team supports Williamson's decision, and it is unknown when he is coming back.

The first official game in the bubble will be between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Utah Jazz on the 30th of July. The Jazz is one of the first teams to stop playing due to the coronavirus. Their center, Rudy Gobert, tested positive in a routine test before the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder back in March. The game was suspended before tip-off, and the rest of the NBA games were suspended the next day.

Losing Williamson is a big blow for the Pelicans. The rookie missed most of the season due to an injury and played only 19 games. Before Williamson arrived, the Pelicans were one of the worst-performing teams in the NBA. In just 19 games, Williamson turned it around and got them an invitation to Orlando.

However, even with Williamson, the Pelicans are just keeping their heads above water. They need to win at least 6 of their 8 round robin games to have a chance of making it to the postseason. While the Pelicans have the most manageable schedule of all the teams in the bubble, they need to compete with five other teams for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Los Angeles Clippers player Montrezl Harrell also left the Orlando bubble to attend a family emergency. Harrell is one of the favourites to win the "Sixth Man of the Year" this season.