NBA Facilities to Reopen May 8 in First Step to Season Resumption

While most major professional sports remain in limbo in the United States, there are signs that things are starting to work toward return. NASCAR returns to the track next week in Darlington, while the PGA Tour is expected to return next month. Both will not have fans in attendance but you can bet that the ratings for those sports will be far above their normal numbers when all is said and done since fans are starved for live programming. With the NHL and the NBA looking to get back to resuming their seasons, there is some positive news that points toward the teams potentially getting back in a near future.

According to a report from Marc Stein of the New York Times, the league plans on opening team facilities to players on Friday, May 8 in areas that have relaxed guidelines about staying at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Under that plan, the team facilities would be able to be utilized by up to four players at one time with no coaches involved. For teams that are in more restrictive situations, the league was intent on finding alternative solutions in order to give the opportunity for those teams to get some work in and ensure that everyone would be on a level playing field.

This marked the second time the league has attempted this concept. The first time that the league looked to open team facilities was May 1 but after the Atlanta Hawks balked a bit at the concept of re-opening their facilities for players to get back to action, the league made the decision to push that back one week. With Georgia being one of the first states to loosen their restrictions on their population, the league was looking at Atlanta as one of the focal points of the early stages of the return to normalcy en route to getting back to normal.

It's important to note that players can still not scrimmage or engage in group activities at this point of things. In addition, lifting weights is prohibited with a spotter if it requires a staff member or another player to be within 12 feet. Players have to wear a face mask when they are in the team facility at all times where they are not engaged in physical activity. In addition, Shams Charamia of The Athletic stated that teams must name a senior executive to the title of Facility Hygiene Officer. Players also have to have a resting ECG and a troponin test before working out in team facilities.

This is hopefully the first successful step in getting the league back on track and back to playing competitive games. The NBA played its last game before pausing the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 11. Players have to train in NBA facilities as opposed to going to the local gym or the Y at this stage. The league still has hurdles in front of them, including being able to test their players regularly, in order to get back on the floor to finish the season. However, this is at least putting things in the right direction. One has to hope that we’ll see NBA action sooner rather than later at this stage.