Report: Multiple NBA Players Warned After Anonymous Tips to Violation Hotline

The NBA enacted strict protocols in the bubble environment it developed at the Walt Disney World Resort outside of Orlando, Florida, to try to keep players and staff safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

That included creating an anonymous hotline to report people who break the rules, and it is already being utilized, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium:

On Monday, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported the hotline had not yet been utilized.

On Tuesday, Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie called the hotline the "snitch hotline" and advised players not to call it while talking with B/R's Taylor Rooks:

Dinwiddie's mention of not leaving the bubble to get a food delivery appeared to be a reference to the Sacramento Kings' Richaun Holmes, who was put into quarantine for 10 days after doing just that:

With players separated from friends and family during their time in Florida, keeping them from leaving the campus—or finding a way to bring in guests—could be a challenge for the NBA.

On one hand, it's hard to blame anyone who gets a case of cabin fever given the circumstances of the league's restart. On the other, breaking the league's protocols could expose a player and their teammates, coaches and staff to the coronavirus.

The violation hotline isn't the most elegant form of self-policing—especially if players are averse to using it—but it's one way to try to protect as many people as possible.