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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Los Angeles Clippers guard Lou Williams will miss the team's first two games -- including Thursday's opener against the Lakers --while he completes a league-mandated 10-day quarantine for visiting a strip club in Atlanta while on approved leave to attend a viewing for a family friend, the NBA announced today.
Players are permitted to leave the Orlando ``bubble'' where the league is concluding its 2019-20 season for family emergencies or other reasons, and Williams of the Clippers was excused Thursday when he flew home to Atlanta, the league said.
According to the NBA, Williams admitted to NBA security that he went to Magic City, a local strip club, after attending a viewing for the death of a close family friend on Thursday. The league was alerted to the visit when rapper Jack Harlow posted a picture of him and Williams at the club on social media before deleting it. Williams was wearing an NBA face covering in the photo.
Williams addressed the issue in a tweet on Friday, writing: "Ask any of my teammates what's my favorite restaurant in Atlanta is. Ain't nobody partying. Chill out lol. #Maskon #inandout.''
According to ESPN, Williams denied to NBA officials that any strippers were present while he was at the club.
The approved leave was already going to cost Williams a four-day quarantine, per NBA policy.
The Clippers did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday, but coach Doc Rivers addressed the issue before the team's scrimmage on Saturday.
"I can't share much with his journey. I wasn't on that journey with him. But he's back here, I can tell you that much. You know, obviously those pictures got out, and that's something that we obviously didn't enjoy seeing or like,'' Rivers said.
Clippers players Montrezl Harrell and Patrick Beverley were also excused to leave the campus in Orlando to tend to family matters in the past week.