The COVID-19 outbreak has indefinitely shut down professional sports in the United States, leaving fans wondering when games will resume.
Jeff Van Gundy, however, doesn’t think pro sports will restart for quite some time. In fact, the ESPN analyst told The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn he’s “completely pessimistic” the NBA’s 2019-20 season will resume.
“The NBA, the NHL, Major League Baseball, those will not take place,” Van Gundy said, per Washburn. “And I don’t think football — college or the NFL — will start on time because, until we start developing a herd immunity to it, we come up with a protocol to treat it, or a vaccine becomes available, I don’t see games being played.”
The NBA’s season was indefinitely suspended March 11 after Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus. (He and teammate Donovan Mitchell reportedly have recovered.) Since then, nine other NBA players — including Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart and Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant — have tested positive.
Some, like Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, are hopeful the league could resume as early as mid-May. But Van Gundy doesn’t agree with that assessment.
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“Let’s just say NBA basketball, at the most optimistic, starts July 1. What are we doing because the virus is not going to be eradicated by then?” he said. “What are we doing when the first player, coach, referee comes down with it? Are we going to cancel, like Japan (basketball league) just did. They had a couple of guys get fevers and the fear factors shut the league down again.
“I understand how you can start again, but what’s the plan if the next person gets sick, like another Rudy Gobert-type of situation, we’re going to play through it? We’re going to cancel it again? That to me is why I don’t see any of these things taking place,” Van Gundy said.
“It’s overtly overly optimistic. Somebody said June 1? Really? Again, I hope I’m wrong. We’re looking at national tragedy with no end in sight. But what I’d like to know is what would make them cancel again?”
We hope he’s wrong, too.
