Mavericks’ Kristaps Porzingis fined $50,000 for attending a club, violating an NBA rule

The NBA fined Dallas Mavericks forward $50,000 for attending a club on Sunday, which the league said violates its health and safety protocols regardless of a players' vaccination status.

The NBA added in a statement that "no quarantine is necessary" after determining "his attendance did not create risks related to the spread of COVID-19." The league added it reached this conclusion after consulting with medical experts and "based on all facts and circumstances."

The NBA's punishment toward Porzingis is more severe than what happened to Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who was not disciplined in any way after the league determined he violated its health and safety protocols after attending a promotional outdoor event last week.  

“While we understand the inclination to compare this incident to protocol violations by other players, including LeBron James, those facts are very different," NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports and other outlets. "LeBron briefly attended an outdoor event related to an individual commercial activity where everyone was either required to be vaccinated or return a negative Covid test.  The league reviews each potential protocol violation on a case-by-case basis, and determines quarantines and imposes discipline based on the individual facts and circumstances of each matter.”

The Dallas Mavericks play the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series at Staples Center. The Mavericks have been in L.A. since Friday. 

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