WILL the planned NBA (National Basketball Association) restart push through on July 30?
I ask because only days back, another NBA player from Miami, unnamed, tested positive for Covid-19—the third Heat player to get infected.
After Frenchman Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz became the first NBA player to contract the virus, the league immediately halted play beginning March 11. A wise move by NBA commissioner Adam Silver, even as Utah’s Donovan Mitchell and superstar Kevin Durant now of the Brooklyn Nets would also get the virus shortly after.
The 22 teams are expected to arrive today (July 7) onward at the Disney World in Orlando, Florida, where they will be housed for the next three months or so while playing the rest of the NBA season, with three courts at the league’s disposal.
But at the rate the pandemic is wreaking havoc across the world, with America as among those badly hit, Silver might have to rethink his options for the return of the NBA. A bit too soon?
Just last week (June 25), three more players tested positive for the coronavirus: Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon and Sacramento Kings’ Jabari Parker and Alex Len. Stunningly though for Brogdon, Parker and Len, they expressed willingness to play in the resumption of the league, according to AP.
“I recently tested positive for the Covid virus and am currently in quarantine,” said Brogdon. “I’m doing well...and I plan to join my teammates in Orlando for the resumption of the NBA season.”
Said Parker: “...I am self-isolated in Chicago... I am progressing... and feeling well. I look forward to return to the court for the resumptions of the NBA season.”
And from Len: “I immediately entered isolation. I thank the NBA for putting the protocols in place to allow me to catch this early.”
Bravery is the word here. For, indeed, amid the deadly pandemic, only the brave would dare to dig in.
But aren’t we putting more premium on the league’s life than the players’ safety? I am just too glad that the PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) is not rushing up things. Haste can make waste, goes the saying.