At the start of this week’s NBA G League Showcase, executives speculated the event could be short-lived given the global uptick in COVID-19 cases brought on by the omicron variant. Ironically, the annual gathering couldn’t have been better timed. 

Players like Luke Kornet, Justin Anderson and Freddie Gillespie descended upon the showcase, joined their teams at the Mandalay Bay and then departed for their 10-day call-ups before even appearing in a game. Several left the Showcase only hours after finishing a contest. 

"I was joking I wanted to just walk onto the court and take a guy out of a huddle to call him up," one assistant general manager told B/R.

At the start of this week’s NBA G League Showcase, executives speculated the event could be short-lived given the global uptick in COVID-19 cases brought on by the omicron variant. Ironically, the annual gathering couldn’t have been better timed. 

Players like Luke Kornet, Justin Anderson and Freddie Gillespie descended upon the showcase, joined their teams at the Mandalay Bay and then departed for their 10-day call-ups before even appearing in a game. Several left the Showcase only hours after finishing a contest. 

"I was joking I wanted to just walk onto the court and take a guy out of a huddle to call him up," one assistant general manager told B/R.

"It’s a circus act," said one player agent.