Fortunately for the Rockets, head coach Mike D'Antoni was medically cleared and is able to travel to Orlando for the league's resumption. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni headed to NBA bubble despite coronavirus risks

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 7/9/20

One day after New Orleans Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry was cleared to travel with his club to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex for the completion of the 2019-20 NBA season amid the worsening coronavirus pandemic, Houston Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni boarded his team's flight headed to Orlando.

ESPN's Tim MacMahon confirmed that D'Antoni, who is 69 years old, passed necessary medical screenings required for NBA personnel deemed high-risk for COVID-19.

On June 25, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claimed:

"People in their 50s are at higher risk for severe illness than people in their 40s. Similarly, people in their 60s or 70s are, in general, at higher risk for severe illness than people in their 50s. ... Eight out of 10 COVID-19-related deaths reported in the United States have been among adults aged 65 years and older."

Age, alone, did not exclude anybody who passed a doctor examination from entering the NBA bubble.

The Rockets open the second part of an NBA campaign unlike any other with a game versus the Dallas Mavericks on July 31.

More must-reads: