Boston Celtics star shooting guard Jaylen Brown appeared on CNN today to talk about the potential of restarting the NBA season after two months of suspension resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
With league activities suspended since Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus on March 11th, the league has been slowly working on finding a way to complete the NBA season if possible.
Plans and chatter regarding such an eventuality have been picking up steam in the last week or so, with “bubble” options for a one-site location to house all participating teams for a restart to the 2019-20 NBA season — or at least some sort of postseason to crown a champion — starting to take shape.
Jaylen Brown on @CNN: "A lot of the guys want to play. The most influential players that were on that call that we speak of, a lot of those guys want to continue the season and that's very important to us." pic.twitter.com/lShZj8x4UW
— Chris Grenham (@chrisgrenham) May 13, 2020
“A lot of the guys want to play,” noted Brown via Forbes’ Chris Grenham.
The NBA hosted a call Friday for players to be in conversation with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) Executive Director Michele Roberts and NBPA President Chris Paul on the topic of restarting the season, which seemed to have broad support.
“The most influential players that were on that call that we speak of, a lot of those guys want to continue the season and that’s very important to us,” he added.
“Everything is moving in the right [direction], we just want to make sure that the NBA represents and is the estimate for a lot of society. We don’t want to come back too early and [make] people feel like things are okay — and things are not, and potentially dangerous.”
“All of us want to play, players want to proceed to play, we just want to ensure that it’s safe, and as the NBA has a brand, we want to make sure that we’re on par with the science and the research that’s being done,” finished Brown.
While there is still much to be determined so far as whether a resumption of NBA activities is even possible, it’s good to hear caution and safety among the chief concerns coming from the player side of the equation.
How any such restart to the season would play out depends on a host of factors too complex list in entirety, but include complex logistical, financial, and public relations concerns that will have to be able to react to changing situations on the ground regarding the pandemic to succeed.
It’s a tall order, but for now at least, there is optimism.
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