This NBA season had tons of stars, but the standout scorer was Bradley Beal. He stood at the top of his game and was set to go global by participating in the Olympics. However, the coronavirus derailed his immediate Olympic plans. Here are the highlights:

• Beal has to miss the Tokyo Games due to being placed in health and safety protocols.
• Coach Gregg Popovich said that we’re all dying for him.
• Hours after the decision was made, the USA team’s exhibition game against Australia was canceled as a precautionary measure. The U.S. women’s game against Australia will go on as planned in Las Vegas. 
• Also, forward Jerami Grant has been placed under health and safety protocols “out of an abundance of caution.” It’s been a rocky road for the USA basketball team. 
• It’s unclear if Beal has been vaccinated. U.S. forward Bam Adebayo checked on Beal, who said he didn’t have any symptoms. Adebayo can relate because he experienced Covid and it gives him flashbacks. He said that he doesn’t wish that virus on anyone.
• Still, it’s a tough loss because Beal is getting into his prime, and Popovich said he meshed well with the team. In his words, “there’s no next Bradley Beal.”
• Popovich now has to find a challenge to get a suitable player to replace Beal. He’ll most likely go for a utility player because no one was scoring like Beal.