NBA pushes back reopening date for practice facilities in cities where stay-at-home restrictions are loosening
No more than four players will be permitted at a facility at any time. Head and assistant coaches are prohibited from participating.
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The NBA has pushed back the date when it will allow some teams to open their practice facilities to May 8. The reopening will affect players in cities and states in which local governments have eased coronavirus stay-at-home orders. The facilities were originally scheduled to open on Friday.
The league opted to push back its initial date to reopen the facilities while compiling more information. Dozens of general managers reportedly are apprehensive about bringing back players to facilities when stay-at-home orders are loosened.
The Atlanta Hawks are unwilling to reopen to their practice facility in Georgia, one of the first states to ease the restrictions.
The reopening allows teams to make their practice facilities available to players for individual workouts and treatment. No more than four players will be permitted at a facility at any time, and head and assistant coaches are prohibited from participating. The same holds for group practices and scrimmages, and the players are not allowed to use non-team facilities — public gyms, fitness centers or health clubs — to stay in shape.
On April 17, commissioner Adam Silver said he was unsure whether teams would play again this season because of the pandemic. Although Silver won’t give a timeline, there’s a sense that the league could know by June whether games will be canceled.
The 76ers practice in Camden, and New Jersey’s stay-at-home order has no end date. The Inquirer reported Saturday night that the state isn’t close to opening. However, the state’s estimate for relaxed restrictions is May 27. New Jersey has been under a stay-at-home order since March 21.
Despite warnings by health experts, several states have either started or announced plans to allow previously shuttered businesses to operate again: In addition to Georgia, Alaska, Colorado, Montana, Minnesota, North Dakota, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Vermont.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf hopes to reopen the north-central and northwest regions of the state on May 8. Philadelphia is expected to be one of the last regions to reopen because it has been a hot spot for the virus.