NEW YORK (Reuters) ‒ NBA teams are expected to get the go-ahead to reopen practice facilities for limited use as early as Friday, less than two months after the coronavirus outbreak forced the suspension of the season.
With head and assistant coaches barred and scrimmages forbidden, the workouts are unlikely to resemble business as usual for the NBA but would nonetheless be a step towards normalcy for a league whose season was upended in dramatic fashion in March.
Players will be required to wear face masks inside team facilities, “except during the period when they are engaged in physical activity,” according to a league memo.
Teams must also thoroughly disinfect any equipment used, from basketballs to weight-room equipment.
Modifications to stay-at-home orders could play a factor in which teams can resume workouts, with some U.S. states reopening here and others maintaining strict social distancing procedures.
The Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets are among those considering opening facilities right away, according to media reports, with Texas and Colorado stay-at-home orders having expired.
The Cleveland Cavaliers later confirmed that they will join that group.
With much of the professional sports calendar on hold, many leagues across North America are considering whether and how their seasons could resume.
Major League Soccer returned to training on Wednesday with strict rules in place, while NASCAR plans to resume competition on May 17 without fans.
The NBA was among the first to see its season impacted by the coronavirus outbreak, with games called off at the last minute after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the coronavirus in March.
Meantime, the league and the National Basketball Players Association will hold a call for all players on Friday, ESPN reported Wednesday.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver and NBPA executive director Michele Roberts will run the call on which players will be allowed to ask any questions they have about the state of the league amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
While “maybe another team or two” may open facilities for players on Friday, others are more than three weeks from hosting players for individual workouts, including the Golden State Warriors, according to the USA Today report.
A to-do list for teams sent Tuesday was more than 14 pages with particulars on preparing and sanitizing the environment for players and team employees.
