NBA return: What happens if a player tests positive during games?

The NBA is bound for a restart on July 30th with 22 teams vying for 16 playoff spots to see who wins the 2020 season.

It has been several weeks since the entire association and all of its constituents worked together to come up with a return plan.

But commissioner Adam Silver is wary that the coronavirus (COVID-19) threat is still out there, and that the NBA’s decision to resume its games doesn’t come without risks.

“We can’t outrun the virus,” said Silver. “This is what we’re going to be living with for the foreseeable future … This is a closed network. While it’s not impermeable, it is protected.”

The NBA has already tested all of the players participating in the games, and only 5.3% or 16 players tested positive.

Teams will be traveling to the bubble site in Orlando, Florida around the 1st week of July. They will be staying in 3 separate hotels.

All games shall be held inside of the Disney-owned ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, which has 3 basketball arenas.

There shall be strict rules imposed once the games resume; all participants are going to stay inside campus to prevent any trouble.

The NBA even has an anonymous hotline to report incidents of players or team members going out, while all are also asked to wear high-tech bands for precautionary measures.

Now, in the case of a player testing positive while the season is already on-going, Silver says they will be treating that player as if he has gotten an injury.

“If we have a single player test positive, whether an All-Star or a journeyman, that player go into quarantine,” said Silver. “Then medical personnel would track others with whom that player had contact.”

The resumption of the season will last from July 30th to October 2020.