It can’t be easy on the body to go from the physical intensity of the tail-end of the NBA season, to a four-month hiatus, and then try to rev things back up again. Even with a training camp.
So young players, like Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum and others close to free agency or contract extensions, can’t help but think about the possibility of a career-altering injury when deciding if they want to participate.
After a reported 80-player call held to voice concerns about restarting the season, it looks like a dialogue has opened up about a league-financed insurance program.
“On cusp of hundreds of millions in contract extensions, several of NBA’s top young stars had a Friday call with NBPA officials about possibility of league-financed insurance policies to protect against career-threatening injuries in Orlando,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Saturday.
Wojnarowski also said players like Tatum, Kyle Kuzma, and members of the 2017 draft class are among those discussing this with NBPA officials in an effort to ultimately discuss it with the league.
Meanwhile, other players around the league like Kyrie Irving are bringing up other concerns about restarting — like taking away from the impact the Black Lives Matter movements are currently having.
We’ll see how the NBA and its players association negotiate on things from here.
