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(Reuters) - The NBA season could again be put
on hold if there is a "significant spread" of COVID-19 among its
players in Orlando, where the league is set to resume play on
July 30 with no fans in attendance, commissioner Adam Silver
said on Friday.
The NBA was the first major North American league to suspend its
season in mid-March after a player tested positive for the novel
coronavirus. It recently agreed a plan with its players to
restart with 22 teams at Disney World in Florida.
But if the number of cases inside the NBA's so-called "bubble"
rises, "that may lead us to stopping" play, Silver told ESPN.
Silver said the record number of cases in Florida recently has
raised the level of concern but added that the use of the campus
- where players will live, practise and play - is designed to
limit risk of exposure to the surrounding community.
Silver's remarks came on the same day the NBA reported that 16
out of 302 players tested for COVID-19 on June 23 had tested
positive. The league did not disclose the identities of the
players.
Players are scheduled to begin traveling to Orlando on July 7
with tip-off set for July 30.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles, editing by Ed Osmond)
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