Los Angeles Lakers: How Lou Williams bailed out Dwight Howard

Lou Williams took the spotlight off of Dwight Howard’s beliefs on mask mandate and vaccines!

Dwight Howard has been consistent about his decision (Or bad habit!) on not wearing a mask inside the NBA’s bubble amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

At a time where many have criticized people around the country for not wearing masks in the rising problems of a world pandemic, Dwight Howard has posted to social media or goes live on Instagram without one on. What’s even worse, he has questioned openly why players were even made to wear them in the first place.

When he was turned in to NBA officials on the hotline for not wearing a mask, instead of complying with the rules and protocol set by the NBA to get a tenuous task of finishing the NBA season, he tried to change the narrative to justice for Breonna Taylor, a woman that was killed by police in a botched warrant execution. (The three police officers responsible for her death still have not been charged as of this writing!).

Part of Howard’s logic for not wearing a mask is believing he and the other NBA personnel inside the bubble aren’t around anyone who is coming in and out of Disney World. Presumably based on  that he thinks he can’t contract it inside. That theory is far from being the case.

• While players, coaches and other team staff are stuck inside, Disney World employees are allowed to come and go.
• Numerous players have had to leave the bubble for family emergencies and other reasons.
• The Lou Williams situation shows that even the most detailed plan can be ignored and protocols can be broken to shut down the season again. This time maybe for good.

As bad as is his anti-mask crusade was causing problems for a league attempting to resume play for the first time in five months in the middle of a global pandemic, his anti-vaccination beliefs and theories with no research are worse.

Given how COVID-19 is surging to the point that Florida has become one of the epicenters of the disease with confirmed cases and deaths rising by the day, it is very possible that the virus can still get in the bubble. If players like Howard were to wear a mask around the campus, it would significantly limit the risk of them or others contracting the virus.

No matter the beliefs of Dwight Howard, statements like this on IG Live are dangerous.

"And everybody that’s out there, man, listen. If you’ve got an opinion on something, don’t let nobody change your opinion on it. Stand down on your 10 toes and believe in it. Don’t let nobody change your thoughts and your opinions and whatever, because those are your thoughts and your opinions. So, I don’t believe in vaccines myself. Will vaccines work for some people? They may, or they may not. But, for me, I don’t believe in them. And that is my opinion, and I’m going to stick with that. This is terrible advice. Absolutely be open to reassessing your opinion as you gather new information. That’s how we learn and grow."

Let’s help Dwight Howard learn by reading the fine print in the NBA protocols. Obviously he didn’t read it.