The NBA is temporarily shutting down all 30 teams’ training facilities to staff and players as of Friday in an effort to further mitigate the coronavirus situation, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).
Teams were informed of that change in policy by the league in a memo on Thursday, Charania adds (via Twitter).
At the start of this week, the NBA extended its ban on group practices indefinitely but indicated that team facilities could remain open and players could conduct individual workouts there, as long as they maintained a safe distance from one another.
However, in recent days, a number of teams had closed their facilities of their own accord. As much as clubs wanted players to have a place to get work in, they were “uneasy” about the contact even in that limited environment, says ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
The edict from the NBA ensures that all 30 teams are on equal footing as the league hunkers down for a lengthy layoff.
Some players may have too much money saved to be willing to return.