Acknowledging that no option would have been risk-free during a pandemic, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Friday that the concern shared by the league and its players surrounding next month's restart of the season is rising as covid-19 cases in Florida keep climbing.
That said, the league and the National Basketball Players Association is moving forward -- finalizing the deal that will bring the NBA game back and see teams start arriving at the Disney campus near Orlando, Fla., in less than two weeks.
Many of the details of the agreement were already known, such as how "stringent health and safety protocols" would be in place for the 22 teams that will be participating, that no fans will be present, and that games will be held in three different arenas at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex.
But when those protocols were completed, the Orange County, Fla., area -- which includes Orlando -- had seen a 5% rate of positive coronavirus tests over the preceding 10 days. In the 10 days that have followed, the rate of positive tests there has soared to more than 15%.
"We ultimately believe it will be safer on our campus than outside it," Silver said. "But the signal we are sending is this is definitely not business as usual. This is far from an ideal way to finish our season, and it will require tremendous sacrifices from all those involved."
Silver said the league is working with Disney to test on-site employees who could be in the same room as NBA players, which he believes will make the setting even safer.
Once players get to Disney, they will be tested daily. Testing is in an every-other-day mandatory phase now for the 22 teams set to participate in the restarted season. Results from Tuesday's first 302 tests saw 16 players test positive for the virus.
"I think one would have been concerning," NBPA executive director Michele Roberts said. "But, God forgive me, I was frankly to some extent relieved that the number was not higher. If nothing else, it told me that the great majority of our players have been doing exactly what they should have been doing to keep themselves safe."
Silver said it may be possible that, if there was a significant spread of the virus within the Disney campus, "that might lead us to stopping." He said the league has not precisely concluded what number it would take for the league to shut down the season once it resumes, and continues working with the players and health officials to determine what that number should be.
The NBA suspended its season March 11 because of the virus.
There are countless business reasons to play, including huge revenue streams at stake for players, the league and the NBA's media partners -- Disney included. And Silver acknowledged that even though the league "hasn't worked through every scenario" regarding the possibility of on-site positives at Disney, he believes coming back is the best move.
"Ultimately, whether it's fighting racism or a pandemic, we're coming back because sports matter in our society," Silver said. "They bring people together when we need it the most and they can show how we can balance public health and economic necessity."
