Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal said he hasn't made a decision yet on whether to play again this season.
Beal continues to work out and train as if he will join the team in Orlando, Florida, when the NBA restarts.
"I have yet to make mine," Beal said of his decision on Wednesday during a Zoom call with reporters. "I am still working my tail off every single day as if I am playing. It is more or less a decision that will come down to the medical staff and coming back from zero to 100, and then I have some nagging stuff from the end of the year that we are trying to clean up, too. We are looking at it from all angles. I am definitely working out every single day here. It is good to be back in the facility.
"I am not swayed one way or another."
Beal said his decision also will not be based on the fight for social justice and how some players have voiced concerns that playing basketball could potentially distract from the protests and "Black Lives Matter" movement.
Beal and John Wall recently helped lead the "Together We Stand" march hosted by the Wizards and the WNBA defending champion Washington Mystics in Washington D.C.
"I am not going to make my decision on the social side of it," Beal said. "I would say my decision on that would be if the whole league and a lot of guys as a union decide this is what we want to focus on, I support that. I am kind of neutral in this situation because I get it from the standpoint of a guy who doesn't make a lot of money, who may be this. I get it from the guys who want to utilize this money to give back to their communities. I look at it from a standpoint of guys who just want to focus on straight social justice. So I get it from every standpoint. I am literally right in the middle. I am not swayed one way or another."
Beal believes that playing again can enhance athletes' platforms to keep protests and the social justice fight and messaging going.
"We stopped playing basketball because of COVID," Beal said. "We didn't stop playing because of social justice. I feel like we can still raise that awareness and we can still bring attention to what is going on in the world by using our platform and utilizing names on the back of our jerseys.
"Like doing it so people get pissed off and tired of seeing it. That is the messaging that I think we are trying to get and push because that is the only real change that we are going to be able to generate. Statements are great. We can speak out and speak out. But if we are not actively doing things and actively getting involved and showing our faces and at these meetings with local officials, lawmakers and politicians and everybody who makes these decisions, then we are kind of chasing our tails in a way. We have to utilize our platforms as athletes to speak out. I think we are able to do both."
Beal did acknowledge that the circumstances of staying isolated on a campus at a Walt Disney World resort -- and away from family members for an extended period of time amid a surge in coronavirus cases -- makes for a very difficult situation for players from a mental health standpoint.
"Listen, it's not a walk in the park," Beal said. "That is where a lot of guys are concerned about. We can't just leave. We can't just order whatever food we want. We can't just do activities in which we want to do. We can't go to our teammate's room.
"Like there is a lot of s--- that we can't do. So it's tough. I get from a mental awareness standpoint that you are so used to doing this on the road, now you are constrained and restricted."
On Wednesday, the Wizards continued preparing their restart roster, adding free agent Jerian Grant. The 6-4 guard appeared in 39 games with Washington's NBA G League affiliate, averaging 16.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.9 assists. Grant will fill the roster spot of Davis Bertans, who opted out of the restart.