MANILA, Philippines — Despite getting the green light from the NBA board of governors, some players are still hesitant to resume the 2019-20 season amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Slated to come back to regular season play by the end of July, the NBA will run until October in a single venue at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
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Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, "several dozen players" participated in a conference call in the last 24 hours to discuss their reservations.
Sources: As NBA and NBPA are finalizing terms on return-to-play plan today, there’s a faction of players discussing as a group whether restarting season in the Orlando bubble is a good idea. Several dozen players participated in a conference call in last 24 hours to discuss it.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 10, 2020
The NBA and the NBA Players Association are also expected to agree on a provision that would not require players to restart the season.
The league will also not be allowed to discipline them for staying at home, but the players would lose a portion of their salary for the games they miss.
The NBA and NBPA are expected to agree on a provision that wouldn't require players to restart the season, nor subject them to discipline for staying home, sources tell ESPN. The players would lose a portion of salary for those games missed. https://t.co/WkV5qqEmE5
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 10, 2020
According to ESPN's report, some of the inhibitions of the players include family concerns, COVID-19, social justice and more.
If a player should have a medical issue that may cause him to be excused from the season restart, he would be allowed to undergo an independent examination process.
Sources: If a player has a medical issue that might be cause for him to be excused from the Orlando restart, he would be allowed to undergo an independent examination process. Even if the player was told that he’s fit to play, he could still stay home without consequence.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 10, 2020
A player in this situation wold be able to stay home without consequence.
The NBA restart would require the players of 22 teams invited back to stay within the Florida resort in a quarantine bubble until the season is finished.