NBA commissioner Adam Silver maintains that he will respect any peaceful protest that will come up during the opener of the restarted season.
The NBA is in an uncharted territory entering the restarted season. From this point forward, everyone hopes that the league will not encounter any hiccup. It will take three more months before a champion is crowned. In other words, there could still be thousands of different things that could force another season closure.
Two of the most notable scenarios are COVID-19 infections and players protesting for social change. Between the two, the first one is more likely to happen.
Adam Silver respects peaceful protests
The NBA Commissioner has been vocal about his support for the players’ call for social change. The NBA and NBPA have agreed to make the league a platform to send out the message across the world. Measures that have been approved include painting ‘Black Lives Matter’ on the court. Also, players have been allowed to wear approved social justice messages as a replacement for their names.
Not all players have subscribed to the name change. Lebron James and Anthony Davis will refrain from plastering any message on their backs. James, for his part, believes that his game speaks volumes for the cause. Davis, on the other hand, wants to keep his family name on his back as a sign of respect.
Now that the season is about to restart, Adam Silver expects the players to hold a protest of some sort. However, he said that he would respect the peaceful protests of the teams should there be any. Silver said,
“I’m not sure what our players will do when they come out tomorrow night, and we’ll of course address it at the time, but I also understand these are highly unusual times.”
NBA and NBPA Announce COVID-19 Test Results pic.twitter.com/7qPHfL8fK2
— NBPA (@TheNBPA) July 29, 2020
NBA bubble successful so far
The league along with the NBPA has issued a joint statement regarding zero positive cases since July 20. Considering the gravity of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, logging in zero cases is a big feat.
There are many stakeholders that rely on the success of the bubble. It includes team owners and brands that stand to lose tons of money if the season were to be canceled. As such, the NBA is closely monitoring the situation inside and outside of the bubble.
Anyone that steps in and out of the bubble have to be permitted. They also have to submit themselves for personal quarantines to ensure that they don’t contaminate the people inside the bubble.
Image from SXSW/ YouTube thumbnail