LeBron reportedly won't be suspended for violating health protocols

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James breached the NBA's health and safety protocols by attending a promotional event this week, a league spokesman told Dave McMenamin of ESPN on Friday.

James will avoid a suspension for the violation, however, as the event was not considered a threat to spread COVID-19, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The event, staged for a tequila brand that James backs, took place before the Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors in the play-in tournament Wednesday to secure the West's No. 7 seed in the playoffs.

"It's a violation of the agreed-upon protocols, and, as we have in other comparable instances around the league, it has been addressed with the team," the spokesman said.

The event took place outside, and attendees had to produce proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test result.

James has declined to say if he's been vaccinated.

"Anything I do off the floor is predicated to my family, for the majority - for 99.9% of that," James said. "So it's about the health and safety of my family, and that's what it came down to."

Players placed in the league's health and safety protocol during the playoffs can potentially be unavailable for up to a 10-to-14-day stretch.

The Lakers' first-round series against the Phoenix Suns begins Sunday.

L.A. coach Frank Vogel said Friday that the team's roster had not yet reached the 85% vaccination threshold - minimum 15 of 17 players - that would allow for lessened restrictions in the facility.

Lakers point guard Dennis Schroder, who recently finished a 10-day stint in the health and safety protocols, said in April that he and James were the only players who hadn't been vaccinated. Last weekend, Schroder insisted he was the lone player to opt against vaccination.