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NBA return protocol
The National Basketball Players Association on Tuesday sent all of its players a health and safety manual ahead of the resumption of the 2019-20 season on July 30 at Disney World near Orlando.
The NBPA informed its members of the following to start the memo: “It is critical that every player understand that he has the right to choose not to return to play. Any player who exercises this right will not be disciplined. To respect the decision of those who do return to play, it has been agreed that any player who chooses not to participate will have his compensation reduced by 1/92.6 for each game missed up to a cap of 14 games, even if his team plays more than 14 games in Orlando. There will be no other reductions of pay assessed (e.g., fines for missed practices) for a player’s decision not to return to play. Any player that wishes to exercise this right should notify his team of this election by June 24.”
The players union added that the manual is being created with guidance from the CDC, public health officials and medical experts advising the NBA, the NBPA and Disney; with consideration to similar protocols in other sports leagues, teams and events; and in consultation with NBA players and teams.
NBA team executives and players across the league have been awaiting a formal packet of information of “Life inside the Bubble,” which The Athletic has obtained to provide a peek inside a potential four-month expedition for the eventual champion.
Below are highlights from the league memo, as presented by the NBPA:
Phase 1 (June 12-22)
Location: Players who are currently outside of the United States should have returned to their team’s home market by June 15 and all other players must return to their team’s home market by June 22 for mandatory testing beginning on June 23. The only exception is the Toronto Raptors, who, due to quarantine and travel issues in Canada, will travel directly to Naples, Fla., and use the Alico Arena in Florida Gulf Coast University as their practice facility.
– Players may work out at their team facility on a voluntary basis.
– Only individual workouts will be permitted and players must contact their team to schedule any workouts or treatment sessions.
-Teams may also conduct virtual workout sessions (e.g., via Zoom, FaceTime, Skype, etc.) that players would do from their homes.
– Once in market, players are expected to remain at home (with members of their household) and only leave for training or treatment at the team facility or essential activities (e.g., purchasing groceries).
– Anyone residing at a player’s household is asked to limit their travel and exposure to other people.
Phase 2 (June 23-30)
Location: Team practice facility (except for Toronto Raptors)
– Consistent with Phase 1, players are expected to remain at home with their household members, only leaving for essential activities.
– Teams will begin mandatory COVID-19 testing of all players and staff.
– Testing will consist of a shallow nasal swab and oral swab (COVID-19 PCR test) and a blood draw (serology/antibody test). The long (nasopharyngeal) swab that has been reported to cause discomfort will not be used.
– Players may also volunteer to participate in a Yale University study that has the goal of developing a saliva-based test for the coronavirus.
– If a player or a household member is feeling sick or has any symptoms associated with COVID-19, they must report symptoms to the team’s medical staff and follow the guidance provided by the staff. These symptoms include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, unusual muscle pain, headache, new loss of sense of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, other flu like symptoms or dizziness.
Player nonparticipation:
– Non-participating players who are either “excused” or “protected” will not have their salary reduced as a result of their non-participation.
– The salary of any other player who chooses not to participate will be reduced by 1/92.6 for each game that the player misses, with a maximum reduction of 14/92.6.- “Protected Players” are those players whose team believes they are at a higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. If his team does not designate the player as higher risk, a player may still be excused and not have his salary reduced.
“Excused Players” are those players who a panel of three medical experts determines to have a higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
– If a player wishes to request to be “Excused,” he must notify his team and the NBPA no later than June 25.
Phase 3 (July 1-9/10/11)
Location: Team practice facility (except for Toronto Raptors)
– Individual workouts mandatory for all players.
– Group workouts are still prohibited for medical reasons and no more than eight players will be permitted in the team’s facility at any one time.
– Head coaches may now participate in and observe individual workouts.
Phase 4.A (July 7-11)
Location: NBA Campus at Walt Disney World
– Teams will take either a chartered flight or bus to Orlando on a staggered basis over July 7 through 9 to begin team activities.
– Upon arrival, players and team staff must stay isolated in their rooms until they return two negative PCR tests at least 24 hours apart.
– Players will have the option to wear a proximity alarm that will notify a player if he spends more than 5 seconds within 6 feet of another person on campus who is also wearing an alarm.
– All team and league staff (potentially excluding referees) must wear the alarm; it is optional for players.
– Certain Disney staff will not be required to reside at the NBA Campus and will not undergo coronavirus testing, however they will be screened each day on campus to take their temperature and for symptoms.
– Everyone on the NBA Campus will be required to wear a facemask at all times, except when eating, in their individual rooms, during a workout or while engaged in a physical activity outdoors that is not within 6 feet of another person (e.g., swimming, reading a book alone).
– Physical distancing protocol of 6 feet or more should be respected at all times except during team workouts and when team health and performance staff is working with a player.
– Players will also have the option of wearing an Oura smart ring that may help with the early detection of the coronavirus and will track temperature, respiratory and heart rate and other measures.
– Effective July 7, random anti-drug testing will resume but only for SPEDs and Diuretics. No testing will be done for recreational substances, but players remain subject to discipline for possession or use of prohibited recreational substances. (Note: Recreational use of marijuana is not legal in the state of Florida.)
Phase 4.B (July 9/10/11 – July 21)
Location: NBA Campus at Walt Disney World
– Teams may engage in group workouts, practices, weight training, meetings and other team activities.
– In addition to group workouts, players will be permitted to conduct individual off and on-court workouts or drills, under the supervision of team staff.
– COVID-19 testing will continue with regular PCR testing, daily temperature checks, symptom surveys and pulse oximetry (finger clip device to measure oxygen levels) screening.
– At all times on the court, players must avoid spitting or clearing their nose, wiping the ball with their jersey, licking their hands, and unnecessarily touching their mouthguard.
– After the initial self-isolation through July 21, players may eat meals and participate in social activities (ping-pong, golf, video games, card games, etc.) only with individuals residing within their hotel, provided that they maintain physical distancing.
– Until July 21, players are requested to have only brief interactions with players residing in other hotels that are encountered in common areas of the NBA Campus.
– Any meal eaten with a player on another team must be eaten outside.
– Players are not permitted to enter each other’s hotel rooms due to infection concerns.
– Disney chefs will prepare daily meals and there will also be a room service option. Subject to a few exceptions, food deliveries from outside of the NBA Campus are not permitted.
– At his own expense, a player is permitted to hire a personal chef located outside of the NBA Campus to prepare and send food into the NBA Campus on a daily basis.
– No one will be prevented from leaving the NBA Campus, but the expectation is that all players will remain on the campus.
– The NBA Campus includes the several hotels housing players and staff, the Wide World of Sports complex, separate practice courts, and various other auxiliary sites established like a golf course or medical facility.
– If a player leaves without prior approval, upon re-entry he will be subject to enhanced testing (including nasopharyngeal (deep nasal) swab testing), a 10-14 day self-quarantine period, and a reduction in compensation for any game in which he is unable to play as a result of his absence from campus
Phase 5 (July 22-29)
Location: NBA Campus at Walt Disney World
– Teams will play three scrimmage games against other NBA teams residing in their same hotel.
– From July 22 until the end of the 2019-20 season, players are permitted to socialize with players and team staff from hotels other than the one in which they are residing. As before, players are not permitted to enter each other’s hotel rooms due to infection concerns.
Phase 6 (July 30-Oct. 13)
Location: NBA Campus at Walt Disney World
– Teams will play 8 “seeding” games to conclude the 2019-20 regular season, followed by a play-in tournament (if necessary) for the 8th seed in each conference, and the traditional 16-team, 4-round, 7-game NBA Playoffs.
– Upon completion of each team’s season, the team will immediately depart the NBA Campus.
– For each player to leave the NBA Campus, he must have returned a negative PCR result within 24 hours of his scheduled departure.
Player Guests:
– Each team that advances past the first round of the playoffs will be permitted to reserve up to 17 (if the team brings 17 players and down to 15 if it brings only 15 players) guest rooms for guests of players on the NBA Campus.
– Players are responsible for the cost of each hotel room used for a player guest; the costs of meals and testing for player guests will not be charged to players.
– All player guests must undergo three days of self-quarantine and testing either in a house or hotel in the team’s home market or in Orlando outside of the NBA Campus.
– Assuming that the player guest does not return a positive PCR test, then the player guest may then come to the NBA Campus, but must remain in quarantine for four days after arrival while having COVID-19 testing each of those days.
– Agents are not eligible, unless he or she is a family member of a player.
– Player guests who leave the NBA Campus will not be permitted to return.
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