NBA Will Not Pause Season As COVID Cases Rise
In March 2020, the National Basketball Association was the first professional sports league to pause its season when the COVID-19 pandemic began. Almost two years later, with the Omicron variant causing a spike in COVID positivity rates, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says he will not pause the season — at least right now.
Commissioner Adam Silver joined NBA Today to talk about COVID in the league as Christmas Day approaches.
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) December 21, 2021
Silver said there are currently no plans to pause the season. pic.twitter.com/LFIPCCejnQ
“No plans right now to pause the season,” Silver told Malika Andrews of ESPN. “We have of course looked at all the options, but frankly we are having trouble coming up with what the logic would be behind pausing right now.
“As we look through these cases literally ripping through the country, let alone the rest of the world, I think we’re finding ourselves where we sort of knew we were going to get to over the past several months, and that is this virus will not be eradicated, and we’re going to have to learn to live with it. I think that’s what we’re experiencing in the league right now.”
The comments come as the NBA has postponed seven games, including five in the past week over the Omicron spread. The Brookyln Nets, for example, have been ravaged by the COVID crisis with as many as 10 players listed on the COVID-19 protocols list.
Silver confirmed that about “90% of the cases are omicron” across the NBA.
Silver also confirmed that around 97% of the league is fully vaccinated and 65% are boosted. In addition, the data the NBA front office is seeing is that the virus is passing through players with little to no symptoms.
“It seems the virus runs through their systems faster. They become not just asymptomatic but, more importantly, they’re not shedding the virus anymore. That’s the real concern in terms of others. And so we are actively looking at shortening the number of days players are out before they can return to the floor,” Silver said.
Part 2: Commissioner Adam Silver addresses testing, asymptomatic players and potential competitive imbalance with signing short-term players. pic.twitter.com/3pJS5KJG1Z
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) December 21, 2021
The NBPA issues a statement on booster shots and players in the NBA: pic.twitter.com/c5337GW36L
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 21, 2021
Even though they have had a number of players come down with the variant, the Knicks have kept playing. They beat the Detroit Pistons 105-91 at the Garden on Tuesday night. They are scheduled to play host to Washington on Thursday, before hosting the Atlanta Hawks on Christmas Day at noon.
The Nets have had a series of games postponed, including last night’s game against the Wizards. The Nets are still scheduled at Portland on Thursday night, and at the Lakers on Christmas night at 8 p.m.