NBA Owners Were Briefed By Coronavirus Expert And Executive Chairman Of Disney

The NBA is as much on hold today as it was yesterday, but the difference Saturday was that everyone had received an update after Commissioner Adam Silver spoke to the media following a video conference with all NBA owners.

With much of the coverage focused on when and if the season might resume, along with the surprising disclosure that the number of players who have tested positive is more than the previously-reported seven (Silver did not give an exact figure), what went somewhat underreported was the identities of two special speakers who addressed the owners.

One was Dr. David Ho, a world-renowned infectious disease specialist at Columbia University who has been working with the league in the early 1990s when David Stern brought him in as the league’s expert on HIV and AIDS when Magic Johnson was initially diagnosed.

“When this coronavirus outbreak began, when we first learned of it in January in China — I mean, as you all know, we have a fairly substantial presence in China, so we engaged Dr. Ho as our expert to help us best understand this virus,” Silver said. “He is someone who had already begun working on this coronavirus in January. Again, he’s been incredibly helpful to the league as we try to work through these issues.

“One takeaway was, maybe not surprising, but he reaffirmed that there’s still enormous amounts of this virus yet to be learned. Again, that’s just where we find ourselves.”

The other speaker was Bob Iger of Disney, who recently moved into the position of Executive Chairman but has worked with the NBA for years given the league’s long-time relationship with ABC and ESPN.

“He became particularly relevant today, not just to talk about the changing media landscape and ESPN, but in particular how Disney with its theme parks and cruise ships, theatrical business, was addressing this virus and what they thought and he thought were the factors that would enable him to begin returning their business to normalcy,” Silver said.

“To steal a line from Bob, when he was asked by several people about particular timelines, he said from his standpoint it’s about the data and not the date.”

Silver said several options for resuming the season have been discussed, but because of the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, there still were no clear answers.

Ownership representatives from all 30 teams are taking a significant financial hit, and now the players will too … especially if the season never resumes. The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have agreed to a plan to withhold 25% of each player’s paycheck beginning May 15.

The agreement clears the way for a gradual reduction in player salaries should the force majeure provision in the collective bargaining agreement be enacted with the cancellation of regular-season games.

The NBA has no immediate plans to announce the cancellation of any regular-season games, and the union has informed players that it could be June 15 before the players know whether games are canceled and how many, ESPN reported.

And so the waiting continues, with NBA fans missing the game more than ever, players being unable to work out at team facilities, and team employees working from home like so many Americans who are learning new and different things every day about cabin fever.

“I think there is a sense that we can continue to take a leading role as we learn more in coming up with an appropriate regimen and protocol for returning to business,” Silver said. “I think there’s a recognition from them that this is bigger than our business, certainly bigger than sports, and that there is great symbolism around sports in this country, and that to the extent we do find a path back, it will be very meaningful for Americans.”