Los Angeles (AFP)
The presidents of the thirty NBA franchises unanimously "intend to end the season", suspended since March 11 because of the coronavirus, said that of San Antonio Spurs, RC Buford.
"I just finished a conference call with the presidents of the teams, and everyone's intention is that the game will resume and that we will try to do this to create the best possible environment for the league and for the fans. We are all united for that, "Buford assured Texas media on Thursday evening.
The Spurs leader has dismissed the idea that some franchise leaders would urge the NBA to end the season definitively, as reported by CNBC earlier on Thursday.
According to the chain, these executives say that the owners are concerned about the liability problems that would arise from a resumption of competition in view of the health situation. And by the prospect of losing money with matches behind closed doors, the costs of which could not be met without income from the ticket office.
Cancel the season? A possibility firmly refuted in the wake of LeBron James, who assured on his Twitter account: "this is absolutely not true (...) There is no one I know who has said something like that. No one shouldn't cancel anything. "
CJ Buford's statement therefore abounds with that of the Lakers superstar and the president of Spurs said that franchises regularly discuss with the NBA on the best way to return to the game and even when the spectators could again attend the matches in the rooms
"No decision has been made. This is unknown territory," he added, however.
Finally evoking the way in which the players of San Antonio had to adapt to talk physically in full confinement, he was pleased to have had a staff "very creative and proactive from the start".
"Our athletic performance manager Anthony Falsone has been in virtually 15 different garages to help the guys work out together," he said, adding that getting Gregg Popovich on video was "the greatest challenge we faced, "given the technological skills of the veteran coach.
© 2020 AFP