With Florida posting a record number of coronavirus cases for the third consecutive day on Saturday, concern is rising among NBA players, team executives and the league office itself as plans go forward to resume play in Orlando next month.
The surging number of coronavirus cases in Florida, which posted a record-high Saturday for the third consecutive day, have raised concerns in many corners of the NBA, from players to team executives to the league office itself, as it prepares to resume play in Orlando next month.
Florida added 4,049 new cases Saturday, which broke the previous single-day record of 3,822 set Friday. In all, the state has set records for single-day cases in seven of the past 10 days and is approaching 94,000 infections — becoming a national hots pot along with Texas and Arizona, states that are also seeing surging case numbers.
In at least one recent call with high-level team executives, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has acknowledged the spiking numbers in Florida. Multiple team sources described the general tone of that call, including the questions asked of Silver on it, as tense. Another called Silver’s tone “resolute but somber.” He expressed a resolve to go on — a confidence in the NBA’s bubble concept — while recognizing the seriousness of the coronavirus spike, sources said.
The National Basketball Players Association held a virtual town hall with players this week and addressed concerns about the Florida cases, multiple sources familiar with the matter told ESPN. Players brought up the fact that Walt Disney World staffers who will not reside in the NBA campus — including hotel housekeeping — will not be subject to any coronavirus testing, sources said. One mitigating factor that was cited, a source added: Many of the surging cases are in areas other than Orlando.
South Florida remains the state’s hardest-hit region, accounting for almost half of the total cases in the state, and Miami-Dade County alone has nearly 25,000 cases.
Walt Disney World, which will house 22 teams, sits largely in Orange County and in part of Osceola County — both located in Central Florida, a region that hasn’t been hit nearly as hard.
