Thunder point guard Dennis Schröder has left the NBA bubble for the birth of his second child, coach Billy Donovan announced Monday before tip-off against the Nuggets.
Schröder, in mid-July, said he planned to be with his wife, Ellen, when the time came.
“It happened this morning, so he’s with his family at this point in time,” Donovan said. “I’ll have a chance probably to talk to him and find out a little bit more, if it’s not later today or tomorrow. Right now, for at least this game, he’ll be out. We’ll probably be able to gather some more information once we get a chance to spend a little more time with him over the phone.”
Players can leave the NBA bubble for excused absences, including the birth of a child. Players who leave for excused absences must quarantine for four days upon returning to the Disney complex as long as they test negative for the coronavirus each day they were off campus.
Dennis Schröder Leaves NBA Campus For Birth Of Child https://t.co/RWOZNzaSlT pic.twitter.com/sHaP9kx0ny
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) August 3, 2020
“For me it’s tough,” Schröder said. “I love my teammates, I love basketball, but family comes first all the time.”
Schröder will almost certainly miss multiple games. The Thunder has seven seeding games remaining through Aug. 14.
Schröder, a Sixth Man of the Year candidate, is averaging 18.9 points per game off the Thunder’s bench. He’s shooting a career-high 46.9% from the floor this season.
Thunder guard Terrance Ferguson will also be out Monday afternoon. Ferguson is dealing with a leg contusion.
“I think just giving him another day to rest, the medical staff thought that would be really, really good,” Donovan said.
