Partnership with players key to success of NBA restart
MANILA, Philippines — The NBA has shown off its resilience as a league following a successful return to play amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Set to tip off on Thursday, July 30 (Friday, July 31 in Manila), the NBA conquered many hurdles in order to get back on their feet despite the health crisis.
For NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum, this couldn't have been done without the league's great partnership with its players.
"There's two things. One is the partnership with the players. We could not do this if we did no have an incredible working relationship with the players," Tatum said in a conference call with international media on Wednesday.
"They have to agree that the conditions that we were creating were going to be safe and going to be healthy for them and everybody involved... even around the social justice messages, that was in conjuction and in partnership with our players, as well," he added.
The NBA worked closely with its players, represented by the NBA Players Association in creating the NBA "bubble" — ensuring concerns of its athletes were heard as the US continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic.
Apart from conversations about health and safety, activism and social justice were given thought about both the league and the players with the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement in the US.
Despite being inside the NBA campus as the season rolls on, the players are given chances to support the movement through statements on jerseys and using their platforms during post-game interviews.
This ideal balance between the league's and players' needs were achieved through long and meaningful dialogue between the two parties.
"We had weekly and many times several times a week... we were on calls and had meetings with the Players' Association... the partnership with the players is really important, really critical. We couldn't have done it without them," Tatum said.
But apart from the players, the league's successful return is also attributed to close partnerships with relevant health officials.
"The second biggest contributing factor, I think, is the work that we've done with out experts because again, the safety and health of everyone involved — we are doing something here that we've never done before and that very few people, if anyone, have actually ever attempted to do before," Tatum said.
"It's a massive undertaking, and it requires a lot of cooperation with experts in lots of different areas," he added.
Set to kick off in full swing on Thursday (Friday in Manila), the NBA's setup may become a blueprint for other basketball leagues in their plan for return — like the local Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
But if the PBA expects to enjoy the same success as its US counterpart, both players and league officials will need to practice the same type of discussions and discipline that the NBA has been able to achieve.
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