Subscribe
Follow Us
Amid the vast escalation in positive cases of COVID-19, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has finally broken his silence on the league's plans for the rest of the season. There had been some question into whether the NBA would pause or cancel the remainder of the season, but during an interview with ESPN's Malika Andrews on Tuesday, Silver said the NBA has “no plans right now to pause the season.”
Adam Silver on NBA Today on ESPN: "No plans right now to pause the season. We looked at the options and, quite frankly, we're struggling to come up with the logic to pause."
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) December 21, 2021
Despite a number of games being postponed over the past week and a plethora of players entering the league's COVID-19 protocols, Silver is opting against a league-wide pause in order to combat the spread.
Silver: "With the way the virus is being transmitted around the world, it's become obvious we're going to have to learn to live with it."
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) December 21, 2021
Instead, the commissioner seems to think this is something that the NBA is going to have to learn how to live with, as cases continue to spread across the globe thanks to the Omicron variant that's causing almost all of the positive tests.
Similar to the NFL, Silver revealed the NBA is actively seeking plans to reduce the number of days needed to return for a vaccinated player who tested positive but is asymptomatic.
Silver: "We are actively looking at shortening the number of days that a vaccinated, but asymptomatic player has to be out…Everything we are doing is in coordination with the Players Association."
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) December 21, 2021
In terms of fans attending games, Silver says the NBA has no plans to reduce capacity at stadiums, and the league will continue to adhere to the local mandates and guidelines put forth by the individual arenas.
Adam Silver said there are no widespread plans to reduce capacity for fans in NBA arenas. Silver stressed that the league will continue to follow all local mandates and guidelines on arena capacity.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) December 21, 2021
A number of NBA teams have been harshly plagued by outbreaks of the virus, resulting in the use of hardship exceptions to bring in replacement players. Still, Silver plans to push forth with the season, regardless of the nature of the latest outbreak, despite the fact that the outbreak is putting some teams at a disadvantage.
