NBA concerned with rising COVID cases in Florida, offers more details on return
With positive tests for COVID-19 swelling throughout Florida, NBA commissioner Adam Silver expressed concern Friday but said the league would go ahead with plans to restart its season July 30 in Lake Buena Vista.
Though the league fully expects to crown a champion in October, Silver could not definitively assure that there won’t be another stoppage because of the uncertainty of the virus.
Amid the increased spread of the virus, the “level of concern has increased, not only because of the increased level in Florida but all of the country,” Silver said in a conference call with reporters. “Twenty-nine of the 50 states have an increased number of cases. We designed our campus to isolate ourselves from the level of cases in the surrounding community.”
Silver said there will be increased testing of Disney employees who are around the players during the season and playoffs, which will be played in three arenas inside the Disney Wide World of Sports complex.
The Heat will bus to the complex to begin training camp on July 8; all 22 teams participating in the resumption of the season will be on campus by July 9. No fans will be in attendance for any games or practices.
The commissioner reiterated that one positive test would not stop play but a substantial number of positive tests might cause another suspension, or cancellation, of the season.
“If we have a significant spread of coronavirus throughout the community, that might ultimately lead us to stop it,” Silver said. “We’re working… on what that line should be.”
Silver said players will be tested for COVID-19 on a daily basis once they arrive. Players are being tested every other day beginning this week; the NBA announced that 16 of the 302 players who were tested on June 23 tested positive. Only one Miami Heat player (Derrick Jones Jr.) is believed to have tested positive on that day.
“I was relieved the number came in what we expected it to be given their age group [and numbers] in other industries, Silver said. “None of the 16 were seriously ill in any way. That was a relief to us.”
Silver said it’s a “fair question” to ask whether the NBA would have selected the Orlando area as a host if it knew positive tests would spike to unprecedented levels in Florida. But Silver expressed no second thoughts.
“We can’t outrun the virus, and we’re going to be living with it for the foreseeable future,” Silver said. “That’s why we designed the campus the way we did. It’s a closed network. And while it’s not impermeable, we are protected from cases around us. We are still very comfortable being in Orlando. We’re not saying full steam ahead no matter what happens but we feel very comfortable right now with where we are.”
Silver acknowledged that “one of the reasons we selected Orlando was our longtime partnership with” Disney.
Silver said the NBA is returning because “sports matter in our society. They bring people together when they need it the most…. We know COVID-19 will be with us for the foreseeable future. We are left with no choice but to learn to live with the virus. No options are risk-free right now. We can’t sit on the sidelines indefinitely, and we must adapt. This is far from the ideal way to finish a season.”
NBA players union executive director Michelle Roberts said “we needed to make sure we could mitigate as much as possible.”
Among other issues addressed on the conference call:
▪ Silver said the games will be presented, as a broadcast product, with enhanced audio for players and coaches, never-before-used camera angles, an app that lights up the arena in a team’s colors, virtual concerts, halftime performances and more.
▪ Roberts said the players will be involved in furthering the conversation on pushing the need for social justice.
Silver said the league “is committed to strategies to increase Black representation” among all teams, along with the foundation of an NBA foundation to increase educational and business opportunities in the Black community.
He also said “the league needs to do a better job of hiring African-Americans at every level in the league.”
▪ Iguodala, the players’ union’s first vice president, said: “The players have done a great job using their platforms to be more well-informed. We understand the risks that are involved…. A lot of people in America don’t have jobs right now. We have an opportunity to be a beacon of light, shed light… on social injustices.”
▪ Paul, the union president, said there are several issues on players’ minds and added there are disagreements: “You show me a league or anything like that where everybody has the same views…But one thing about it is, we’ve learned to communicate with one another…. I’m excited for what we can do that is a lot better than the game.”
On the issue of race relations, Paul said: “It’s never going to be a shut-up-and-dribble situation. You’re going to continue to hear us.”
▪ Paul said even though COVID and injuries are the most-discussed health concerns for players, “mental health is the thing a lot of players think of first.”
He praised Kevin Love and DeMar Rozan for speaking candidly on mental health issues; both have acknowledged dealing with anxiety and depression.
▪ Silver said there won’t be a police force on the Disney campus, but there will be security to keep unauthorized people from penetrating the campus.
▪ The NBA released an eight-game seeding schedule for every team during an ESPN special at 7 p.m. Friday.
This story was originally published June 26, 2020 at 4:32 PM.
