Risk For Older NBA Coaches, Staff A Concern If League Returns To Play

As the NBA attempts to plan the best way for the league to return to action during the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems like progress is being made for if and win healthcare officials give sports leagues the ok.

There are talks of finishing the season out in Disney World, and the league is prepared to delay the start of next season if need be, as it’s already postponed its draft lottery and combine.

NBA owners feel a civic duty to return to action as soon as possible to restart the economy. And as much as everyone wants basketball back, some general managers are concerned for the league’s older staff.

In fact, ESPN’s Zach Lowe says multiple officials have said it feels like “the elephant in the room” in meetings about the NBA’s return.

Even if only essential personnel are allowed to be present when (and if) the league resumes, many of those coaches and staffers are up there in age, with preexisting health condition or both.

“Based on all the information that we have today, probably people over 60 with preexisting conditions can’t go, for sure, no matter what their titles are,” a general manager told ESPN’s Baxter Holmes. “Whether it’s a father of the star player or whether it’s the general manager of the team, they can’t go there.”

Everything is at the mercy of the virus, but we can all agree that 71-year-old Greg Popovich, legendary coach of the San Antonio Spurs, must be protected at all costs.

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