Los Angeles (AFP)
In the event of "significant spread" of the new coronavirus among players, the NBA season, which is due to resume on July 30 in the "bubble" of Disney World, would be threatened again, warned Tuesday the head of the league Adam Silver.
"It is certain that if we have any significant spread on our campus, we would have to stop again," said Mr. Silver during a virtual conference of the American magazine Fortune.
As NBA teams gather in Orlando, Florida to resume the season, Silver said he expected some players to test positive for Covid-19.
But what would be "worrying" according to him would be to see players tested positive "once placed in quarantine", which would mean that there is a "hole in our bubble" normally secure in the Disney World complex, where must s '' confront the 22 NBA teams for a place in the play-offs.
The championship, interrupted since March 11, following the announcement of the positive coronavirus test of Rudy Gobert (Utah) will resume as a symbol on July 30 with a match of Jazz and its French pivot which will be measured in New Orleans of the Zion Williamson phenomenon, before a big shock the same evening between the Lakers of LeBron James and the Clippers of Kawhi Leonard.
Coronavirus screening and contact tracking measures will be put in place, which Silver hopes will make the campus safe for players and staff, despite the increase in cases of Covid-19 in Florida.
After the first 351 tests conducted since June 23, 25 players had tested positive, the NBA revealed on July 2. Ten club staff were also members.
© 2020 AFP