COVID-19 is once again becoming a huge issue in professional sports, and the NBA is being hit exceptionally hard by the virus.
In a development that many basketball fans might find surprising, the NBA has reportedly considered allowing players who test positive but are asymptotic to continue playing.
While the idea has been discussed, it sounds like the league is “not ready yet” to implement something like that.
“The league has thought about whether it would allow players who tested positive for COVID-19 but are asymptomatic to continue playing and avoid entering protocol, but it is not ready yet to implement that,” wrote Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.
The NBA has taken some steps to try to limit the spread of the virus during the holiday season.
The increased testing will run December 26-January 8, and masks will be required for players, coaches and staff on the bench, in the locker, weight and training rooms and while traveling with the teams, per memo shared with teams and obtained by ESPN. https://t.co/ZaBnevGnIB
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 17, 2021
It remains to be seen how this chapter of COVID-19 in the NBA will unfold. It seems like there are a lot of possibilities on the table.
COVID-19 issues aside, the 2021-22 NBA season has been a wild one. There are seemingly a handful of teams in each conference that are capable of reaching the NBA Finals.
Parity often makes for a fun season in any sports league, and it certainly seems like there’s a lot of that happening in the NBA right now.
Of course, the hope is that the league will be able to get through the season without COVID-19 derailing it. Each passing day seems to result in more positive tests lately, so the NBA definitely has a tall task on its hands.
