Former Gators SG Bradley Beal to Miss NBA Restart with Wizards Due to Injury
With the NBA set to take off again in the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla., also known now as the NBA "bubble", former Gators shooting guard, Bradley Beal will be absent. Beal is unable to join the Washington Wizards due to a shoulder injury that he had dealt with throughout the 2019-20 season.
The world turned upside down when it was originally announced that the NBA would be put on a forced-hiatus due to the on-going coronavirus pandemic. This would, in a sense, be just the beginning of an uneasy time in the sports world as many other leagues were forced to also prematurely conclude, or were unable to begin their seasons such as the NHL and MLB.
Of course, while the NCAA college basketball teams were able to finish their regular seasons, they were unable to participate beyond that, putting a stop to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1938.
Now, the NBA is ready to begin its season again, and while it isn't a complete restart, given the hiatus cast upon players, there will be a sense of newness to everyone around the globe. The season comeback is expected to start on July 31st with a total of 22 teams participating, chosen by taking all 16 teams who were seeded 1-8 at the conclusion of the pre-hiatus season on March 12th, along with six teams that were six games or fewer behind the eighth-seed.
The Wizards and Beal were set to participate as the ninth seed. Now the Wizards will have to go forward without their star player.
“Bradley did everything possible to be ready to play, but after closely monitoring his individual workouts we came to the conclusion that it was best for him to sit out the upcoming games in Orlando and avoid the risk of further injury,” said Wizards General Manager Tommy Sheppard in a statement released by the team.
“Although he was able to play through the majority of the season with the injury, the layoff from March until now did not leave any of us feeling comfortable that he would have enough time to be ready to perform at the extremely high level we are all accustomed to seeing and agreed that not participating in the games in Orlando was the right decision.”
Beal starred for the Gators in a one-and-done season in 2011-12, averaging 14.5 points per game and earning a First-Team All-SEC honor with Florida before entering the NBA Draft the following season. He was subsequently selected with the third-overall pick by the Wizards and has since gone on to earn an NBA All-Rookie First Team nod and two NBA All-Star appearances (2018, 2019).
“This was a difficult decision and one that I did not take lightly as the leader of this team,” said Beal via a statement released by the team yesterday. “I wanted to help my teammates compete for a playoff spot in Orlando, but also understand that this will be best for all of us in the long term. I appreciate the support of my teammates, the fans and the entire organization and look forward to returning next season to continue the progress we have made.”
