Commissioner says NBA must ‘learn to live with’ virus after 16 players test positive
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts expressed a measure of relief Friday after examining the initial results of the league’s coronavirus testing program.
The NBA and the NBPA announced 16 of the 302 players tested Tuesday were infected with the coronavirus. That list is believed to include two of the three Kings players who revealed positive test results earlier this week. The league’s 5.3 percent infection rate is well below the national average of 7.6 percent, according to recent data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“I was relieved not just that the number came in roughly where we expected it would ... but also that none of the 16 (players) were seriously ill in any way, and that was also a big relief for us,” Silver said.
Silver and Roberts participated in a conference call Friday to announce the two sides had finalized a comprehensive health and safety plan to restart the 2019-20 season. The call also included deputy commissioner Mark Tatum, NBPA president Chris Paul and NBPA first vice president Andre Iguodala.
Roberts said early test results show most NBA players have adhered to isolation and social distancing guidelines since the pandemic forced the NBA to suspend its season March 11.
“The vast majority of our players have been doing exactly what they should have been doing,” Roberts said.
The NBA plans to resume the season July 30 at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, about 20 miles outside of Orlando. Silver said play will continue even if a star player contracts the coronavirus.
“We would continue,” Silver said. “That team would be down a man. We would treat that positive test as we would an injury during the season, so it would not delay the continuation of the playoffs.”
However, Silver acknowledged a widespread coronavirus outbreak within the bubble might force the league to cancel the remainder of the season. Silver admitted he is alarmed by coronavirus trends in Florida, where health officials reported a single-day record 8,933 new cases Thursday, but he believes the NBA bubble will provide a safe environment.
“If we were to have significant spread of the coronavirus in our community, that ultimately might lead us to stop it,” Silver said.
Names of the 16 players who produced positive test results Tuesday were not disclosed, but they likely include Kings guard Buddy Hield and center Alex Len. Len announced he tested positive Tuesday. Hield has not indicated when he tested positive, but he was not known to be infected before entering the team testing program Tuesday in Sacramento. Parker said he tested positive sometime last week in Chicago.
Malcolm Brogdon of the Indiana Pacers also announced he was diagnosed with the the coronavirus this week. Others who recently tested positive, according to various reports, include Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, Derrick Jones Jr. of the Miami Heat and two unidentified members of the Phoenix Suns.
NBA players and essential staff started undergoing coronavirus testing Tuesday as part of the NBA’s plan to resume the season. Testing and treatment protocols were presented in a 113-page health and safety manual provided to teams last week.
“We know COVID-19 will be with us for the foreseeable future and we are left with no choice but to learn to live with it,” Silver said.
The testing program includes polymerase chain reaction and antibody tests. Antibody tests require a blood sample. PCR tests, which will be conducted every other day, involve oral and nasal swabs. Silver confirmed Friday players and staff will be tested every day in the bubble, “at least to start.”
Any player who tests positive must refrain from exercise training for a period of two weeks from the date of the first positive test or the resolution of viral symptoms, whichever date is later. The player must remain in self-isolation until he produces two negative test results more than 24 hours apart and must undergo cardiac screening before he is allowed to resume training. Under those guidelines, any player who tests positive will be out a minimum of 14 days before he can participate in practice or games.
“We spent a tremendous amount of time and energy to come up with a protocol that would enable us to sleep at night,” Roberts said. “… If I didn’t believe that, I would tell the players to stay home.”
This story was originally published June 26, 2020 at 3:57 PM.
