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Katie Lou Samuelson and Zach LaVine join Bradley Beal and Jerami Grant as players who entered USA Basketball’s coronavirus protocols

Samuelson confirmed that she was fully vaccinated yet got the virus anyway. LaVine also entered protocols and couldn’t travel with the team to Tokyo. But he could arrive in Tokyo later this week. The good news though is that Grant has cleared protocol!

By Albert Lee
2021 USA Basketball Training Camp: All-Access
Seattle Storm forward Katie Lou Samuelson is fully vaccinated but still go diagnosed with the coronavirus.
Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images

Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal will miss the 2020 Olympics with the USA Basketball men’s national team due to coronavirus protocols. From the comments that his coaches and teammates have said since then, it appears that he has the coronavirus. Furthermore, some social media posts that his wife posted on coronavirus vaccines fueled speculation that Beal did not receive those shots.

While we don’t know whether Beal has received a Pfizer, Moderna or a Johnson & Johnson jab, we know this. People who are fully vaccinated can still get the coronavirus, and this situation has also affected the women’s 3x3 team.

On Monday, USA Basketball announced that Seattle Storm forward Katie Lou Samuelson will miss the Olympics due to coronavirus protocols. In a separate social media post, she announced that she has the coronavirus despite being fully vaccinated.

Samuelson will be replaced by Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young.

In addition, Beal isn’t the only USA men's national team player to be in coronavirus protocols. Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant also entered protocols but played yesterday in their 83-76 friendly win against Spain and was cleared to fly to Tokyo today with the team.

That said Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine entered protocols and was NOT cleared to fly. Fortunately, USA Basketball was optimistic that he would fly to Tokyo later this week.

Athletes have been traveling to Tokyo in recent days and weeks so their bodies get adjusted to new time zones and the like. However, some of them have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, ranging from South African soccer players to American tennis player Coco Gauff.

Since the Olympics are starting this weekend, I find it difficult to see them canceled last minute. But it’s concerning from a competitive angle that there are more reports of people getting the coronavirus despite being fully vaccinated in Samuelson’s case. Do you think that there could be teams that can’t complete play, whether in basketball or any other sport due to an outbreak? Given the number of athletes coming to Japan, it’s certainly possible.