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The NBA, which was suspended in March due to
the novel coronavirus outbreak, re-started in July at the Walt
Disney World sports complex in Florida without fans and strict
safety protocols in place.
Players were allowed to see family members for the first time
this week, while referees have the option of bringing one guest
into the bubble once the Conference Finals begin, ESPN said.
However, coaches are still prohibited from bringing family
members into the bubble and Malone, who is married and has two
children, said the policy was 'criminal in nature.'
"The reason I bring this up is because the players have their
families here, which is the right thing to do," Malone, 48, told
reporters.
"The referees are allowed to bring one guest, which is great.
The coaches, the coaches are not allowed to bring anybody."
"I say, 'shame on you, NBA'. This is crazy. I miss my family. I
think I speak for me... and probably all the coaches down here.
60 days and not being granted the privilege to have my family
come here is criminal in nature."
The National Basketball Coaches Association (NBCA) said in a
statement they were determining the feasibility of allowing
coaches' families to enter the bubble.
"The challenges of being away from family for so long can be
overwhelming. Discussions with the league office are ongoing. We
will continue to work with the NBA to evaluate the viability of
coaches' families coming to Orlando as more teams exit," the
NBCA said on Twitter.
(Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Simon
Cameron-Moore)
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