The NBA & Covid-19

 

According to ESPN and other sources the NBA plans to reopen team practice facilities Friday in areas where local governments have relaxed stay-at-home restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic. Georgia, where Gov. Brian Kemp began restarting the economy last week, was specifically cited by one of many team executives who are reportedly interested in getting players back into training.

“If our players can travel and play at a 24-Hour Fitness in Atlanta, they should be able to have access to our facilities,” one general manager told ESPN on Saturday. Players will be allowed to voluntarily work out individually, but not as a team, sources told ESPN.

The NBA has been suspended since the beginning of March and the many sports leagues have contributed to raise a fund to help many essential workers who are having a tough time during this crisis. The NBA and WNBA, along with players and teams, have pledged $50 million to COVID-19 related efforts, and the NBA and National Basketball Players Associated each donated $1 million to benefit Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization, Crisis Text Line, Direct Relief and Share Our Strength, among others. The total right now is around $35 million.

Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving on Monday donated $323,000 plus a $200,000 match from Lineage Logistics to deliver meals to families, and Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid said he will donate $500,000 to COVID-19 relief. Including Steph Curry, Kevin Love, Trae Young, Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard, Victor Oladipo, Pau Gasol, Layshia Clarendon, Courtney Williams and others chose to give back to many essential workers that were in need.

After Oakland announced they were closing public schools, Warriors star Steph Curry and his wife Ayesha announced that their foundation would be donating to the Alameda County Community Food Bank and Feeding America to help ensure kids won’t have to worry about where their next meal will come from. Many players have been worried and focused on this crisis. They try to show many fans how to properly act and handle this crisis and they ask right now to stay home and wait until everything goes back to normal.