Players Association seeking 'certainty' before return

[May 27, 2020]    National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts told ESPN on Tuesday that players are seeking a "level of certainty" regarding their return from the hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

A man walks past an NBA logo at an NBA exhibition in Beijing, China October 8, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee

On hold since March 11, Roberts said "it's time" for players to get back on the court.

"It's been two and a half months of, 'What if?' My players need some level of certainty. I think everybody does," she said.

Roberts is holding roundtables with all 30 NBA teams this week. By next week, every franchise expects to have a detailed outline of when, where and how the NBA plans to resume business from commissioner Adam Silver.

The NBA Board of Governors is meeting Friday with the intention of laying out some of the protocols that would be in place at Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, Fla.

Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie shared via social media last week that players are expecting to resume practice in June and be ready for games by July 15.

"Let's just get it out there, because our guys need to know," Roberts said. "Certainty will be good. But the players really want to play."

--Field Level Media

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