Report: If NBA returns, one positive test won’t sideline team

Though Rudy Gobert’s positive test effectively shut down the entire NBA in March, that reportedly won’t be the case if the league returns.

All it took was one positive coronavirus (COVID-19) test result from Utah’s Rudy Gobert to halt the 2019-20 NBA season in March. But according to a new report, that may not be the case if the season resumes.

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told players on a conference call Friday that a positive result would force the affected player into quarantine for 14 days, but not his entire team.

That wasn’t the case upon Gobert’s test in March, with consideration given to players on his own team and opponents that had been in close contact with Gobert and were at a higher risk of testing positive.

But if or when the NBA resumes, the league hopes to have enough testing capacity to continue testing those other players on a daily basis. In March, there simply were not enough tests for that to be an option.

That doesn’t mean there isn’t risk, of course. Even if a player tests negative earlier that day, it’s plausible that could change within hours. As Silver explained, with the widespread nature of the virus, it’s a matter of how much risk the league and its players deem to be acceptable.

The presence of additional tests, which were not available in March, should reduce the risk — but it does not eliminate it.

Another problem in March was that any NBA outbreak was hard to control, since players were traveling across the country and interacting with the general public. That could include those in higher-risk groups, such as people over 65 years old and with underlying health conditions.

By contrast, if the NBA returns, Silver told the players it will likely be in one or two singular locations such as Orlando and Las Vegas and without fans. That not only is designed to protect NBA personnel from the general public, but it also reduces the risk of spreading the virus into the broader population, and potentially those in higher-risk demographics.

But again, while that risk can be likely be lowered with measures such as increased testing and semi-quarantined environments, it won’t be eliminated. That’s what Silver reportedly made clear on Friday’s call.

In Germany, where soccer is set to return next weekend, 10 positive results were recently recorded from tests of essential personnel heading into training. However, the league continues to move forward, and the green light was given by government officials after those results.

It appears the NBA has a similar plan in mind, should the players and their union agree. Silver reportedly told players Friday that a decision on whether to resume (and how) could drag into June, if needed.

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