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The NBA's proposal to resume the 2019-20 season at a “bubble” site with every team in one location is not without risk, so Miami Heat President Pat Riley does not plan on joining the team upon the league's restart.
Per Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel:
“For the Heat, the ultimate call on who’s in and who’s out will come down to Riley, in consultation with the team’s and league’s medical staffs. The irony is that Riley, who turned 75 in March, is expected to be left to monitor the team from a distance, in South Florida.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult for older individuals and people with underlying health conditions, making Riley — a 75-year-old top executive of the Heat — particularly vulnerable to a serious case of coronavirus should he catch it.
Older coaches and officials in the NBA are a primary concern if the league plans to finish out the 2019-20 season — even in one place, minimizing travel — due to the nature of the virus. COVID-19 has seen greater lethal cases in elderly people, and while the Association wants to constantly test its players and staff and check temperatures for fevers, it's extremely feasible that sooner or later someone could contract coronavirus.
For the former Lakers, Knicks and Heat coach, no amount of precaution against COVID-19 is enough.
Should the NBA's season and postseason resume in what has been proposed as a hub in Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, the question of who goes and doesn't leave the location becomes a paramount issue to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches, officials and staff, like Pat Riley sitting out the unprecedented experiment in sports.
