Locker room open, Huerter and Fox building chemistry, cut day looming

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March 11, 2020 seemed like any other night covering the Sacramento Kings. Luke Walton spoke at 5:15. Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry spoke at 5:30. The locker room opened up from 5:45-6:15 for the media, where players shuffled in and out between individual warmups on the court.

There was a buzz that night. The Kings and Pelicans were in a race to the finish line with both teams needing a victory to pull closer to the Memphis Grizzlies for the last Western Conference Playoff spot.

As the game prep continued, a murmur began to circulate around the arena. The Utah Jazz were in Oklahoma City getting ready for tip off and Rudy Gobert was about to change the NBA landscape, maybe forever.

It was a blur. Gobert’s positive covid-19 test sent shockwaves around the world. The ripple effect hit Sacramento almost immediately as it was discovered that one of the officials who had worked the Jazz, Raptors game two days earlier, was scheduled to take the floor at Golden 1 Center.

The Pelicans refused to come out of their locker room. The Kings stood on the court in disbelief. The game was canceled and the age of covid truly set in.

31 months later a major step toward normalcy happened Sunday night, at least in the NBA stratosphere. While it was limited in numbers, media members were once again allowed into the players inner sanctum. The locker room was open.

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