New Orleans Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry has been cleared to travel with the team to the NBA bubble in Orlando, Florida, sources said Wednesday.
Gentry, 65, has been one of the league staff members undergoing further scrutiny before heading into the bubble for the season restart.
Houston Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni, 69, is among those still awaiting word, though sources said there's optimism that he'll be cleared. The Rockets leave for Orlando on Thursday.
Gentry was cleared to continue coaching on Wednesday, the same day the team left New Orleans. In fact, the official call from the NBA came in minutes before the team was boarding a bus to head to the airport, sources said.
For a time, it was unclear if Gentry was going to be able to continue coaching because of concerns about the coronavirus. Gentry was subject to more testing and scrutiny before being cleared to go.
Last week, the NBA office told the coaches' association that "age alone" was not going to prevent a coach from going to the restart . However, individuals who were high risk for complications from COVID-19 would not be able to go.
Gentry took multiple tests at a doctor's office in New Orleans on Tuesday, according to a source, and was ultimately cleared after submitting the tests and other paperwork to the league.
New Orleans will be without associate head coach Jeff Bzdelik and assistant Jamelle McMillan as the season gets underway.
Bzdelik, 67, won't join the team after consulting with team physicians, according to his agent, Warren LeGarie. McMillan will stay back to help care for his newborn son, a team source told ESPN.
