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One more hurdle has been cleared for the NBA to resume its 2019-20 season: The Players Association has approved the Orlando plan.
Once the league released the details of its proposal, it was a mere formality that both the Board of Governors and the NBPA would vote to confirm. Both bodies have officially given their support, taking us one step closer to NBA basketball.
On a conference call this afternoon, the National Basketball Players Association has voted to play the resumption of 2019-20 season, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 5, 2020
The voting was reportedly unanimous from the 28 player representatives on the call; presumably the two absent members represent teams whose seasons have ended. The Clippers are represented by rookie Terance Mann, and Mfiondu Kabengele is his alternate.
The details of the NBPA call today, as disclosed by The Athletic, focus on the safety measures the league will take once personnel are in Orlando. Despite increased use of the term “campus environment” in recent weeks, the situation described skews much more closely to a bubble.
Players will be tested every day for the coronavirus and quarantined for a minimum of seven days if they test positive, though the league will not stop play for one positive test. Players and families will not be allowed to leave the bubble, and families can’t even arrive in Orlando until after the first round of the playoffs, at which point they will be subject to a week-long quarantine.
For those visiting Disney World this summer and hoping to see an active NBA player roaming the parks and getting on rides, well, the NBPA made it clear that won't be happening for players, nor the family members joining them, sources said.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 5, 2020
Other details of the plan were also revealed in The Athletic’s report, including a couple of particular interest: Players will not be subject to drug testing in Orlando, and the league has considered pumping in crowd noise from NBA 2K. Montrezl Harrell is not a fan of the latter idea.
Wtf I hope they not serious https://t.co/SVJ2rH1K8f
— Montrezl Harrell (@MONSTATREZZ) June 5, 2020
There are still plenty of logistics to iron out, and the most pressing point of contention between the players and the league is the timeline to start next season. The NBA floated a Dec. 1 start date, less than two months after a potential Game 7 of the finals. The players will push for a longer offseason, but negotiations remain ongoing.
The crucial takeaway is that the league is united in favor of finishing its 2019-20 season and crowning a 2020 champion. The Clippers have made it their goal to “Win the wait”. Now that the wait has a defined endpoint, they can refocus on their mission of winning the franchise’s first NBA title.