NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says the current plan for restarting the league is the best option. Silver spoke to several league officials on a conference call, Friday, and said we have no option, but to "learn to live with this virus."
"We know that COVID-19 will be with us for the foreseeable future," Silver said told league officials, which included NBPA president Chris Paul. "And we are left with no choice but to learn to live with this virus. No options are risk-free right now."
The NBA is moving ahead with a 22-team restart on July 30, at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando. The plan has been enacted after several months of debate.
"My ultimate conclusion is that we can't outrun the virus, and that this is what we're gonna be living with for the foreseeable future -- which is why we designed the campus the way we did," Silver said. "And so it's a closed network; and while it's not impermeable, we are in essence protected from cases around us. At least, that's the model. So for those reasons, we're still very comfortable being in Orlando."
The league and the players' union officially agreed on the details of the restart plan, Friday.
[Via]