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The NBA will allow certain teams to test asymptomatic players and staff at practice facilities, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday.
Story filed to ESPN: In municipalities where coronavirus testing has become readily available for at-risk healthcare workers, teams opening facilities for voluntary workouts will be allowed to administer Covid-19 tests to asymptomatic players and staff.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 8, 2020
So, if you’re a team in a city in which healthcare workers are able to be tested, then you are allowed to test asymptomatic players and staff. This was a potential issue for the League since testing kits aren’t readily available to the public. It seems the NBA will go ahead with tests anyway as long as at-risk workers are able to get tested.
Organizations such as Magic, Lakers and Clippers are expected to be among those able to conduct coronavirus tests of every player and staff member re-entering facilities for workouts --- regardless of whether they're experiencing symptoms. ESPN Story: https://t.co/tFrxQ5Z8Qb
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 8, 2020
So we now have a few teams that will be able to test players and staff: the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Orlando Magic. None of these teams has confirmed when they’ll return to practice facilities, but you’ve got to believe that it may be soon knowing they can test players and staff. That would mean LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George back at practice potentially, which is a big step in the right direction toward bringing basketball back.