Lakers' Caruso misses sister's wedding to avoid leaving bubble

Los Angeles Lakers guard Alex Caruso is among many players and coaches sacrificing time with their loved ones in order to compete for an NBA championship in Orlando.

By opting into the league's restart, the 26-year-old knew there was a chance he'd be unable to see his older sister, Megan, get married.

"Megan is as close to my No. 1 fan as anyone could get," Caruso told ESPN's Zach Lowe.

Before the Lakers departed for Florida, Caruso says he asked and received permission from head coach Frank Vogel and general manager Rob Pelinka to attend the wedding.

The NBA's health and safety guidelines allow players to leave the bubble for "extenuating circumstances," which includes family weddings. If the player tests negative each day outside the bubble, then he'd only be subject to a four-day quarantine period before returning to the campus.

However, the league's infectious disease experts can recommend that the four-day quarantine be extended. With the wedding taking place in Texas - a coronavirus hotspot - the NBA told Lakers officials that Caruso was likely to spend closer to 10 days in quarantine.

The club encouraged Caruso to attend the wedding, but the third-year guard ultimately decided it was best not to leave.

"If I was on a team that didn't have title aspirations - a team trying to hold on to the No. 8 seed or something - it might have been different," Caruso said. "But we have worked too hard."