“This could turn out to be the single greatest challenge of all our lives,” said Commissioner Silver
Yesterday, Commissioner Adam Silver held a phone call with members of the NBA Players’ Association. During the call, Silver outlined the challenges the league will be facing for the remainder of this season as well as next season. In fact, ESPN is reporting that Silver said during the call that there are no guarantees that fans will be allowed to return to NBA Arenas this season or even next season.
Silver said that 40% of the league’s revenue comes from game nights held in NBA arenas across North America. The Commissioner is aware that this could make life for players and league executives very difficult. During the call, he said, “this could turn out to be the single greatest challenge of all our lives…”
The Commissioner also discussed the idea of hosting the remainder of this year’s regular-season games at one or two specific locations in order to limit travel and the potential spread of COVID-19. Adam Silver reportedly said that Orlando and Las Vegas are two potential sites where returning to play makes the most sense.
Silver closed out the call by talking about Coronavirus Testing for NBA players and staff. Silver said that the league hopes it will not have to shut down a team for the season if a player or staff member does end up testing positive for COVID-19. However, the Commissioner did say he is confident that there are enough tests available for the league to eventually start mass-testing individuals for the disease. Silver explained that he will wait to start testing members of the NBA until the league has a more clear date for a return to play, saying “…we won’t be taking tests from needy people.”
