Dennis Schroder will not be with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the entire time the team is in the bubble.
His wife is pregnant and expected to deliver her baby in three to four weeks, he said during a Zoom call with media on Tuesday.
Schroder will depart the Orlando bubble to be with her during that time.
“I’m not going to leave my wife by herself while she’s getting a second baby,” he said. “Junior is still 17 months old, so I’m for sure going to go there and support her and try as much as I can to be there for my family.”
That three-to-four week timeline would put the birth sometime in the first or second week of August.
That would likely cause the Thunder to be without Schroder for all eight pre-playoff games.
Once he returns to Orlando after the birth and spending time with his family, he will have to be re-tested for coronavirus and may have to quarantine. It is unclear what the NBA regulations are for a player leaving and returning, but Sacramento Kings center Richaun Holmes is in quarantine for eight days after leaving the campus perimeter to pick up a food delivery.
If Schroder returns to the team sometime in mid-August and has the same eight-day quarantine, he may miss a couple playoff games. That absence could be extended if he remains with family and the new baby longer.
The first round of the playoffs is scheduled to start Aug. 18.
