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NBA: Returning international players could be a stumbling block

By Duncan Smith

DALLAS, TEXAS - MARCH 04: Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks works through pregame warm up before taking on the New Orleans Pelicans at American Airlines Center on March 04, 2020 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TEXAS - MARCH 04: Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks works through pregame warm up before taking on the New Orleans Pelicans at American Airlines Center on March 04, 2020 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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As the NBA looks to start opening team practice facilities in the hopes of eventually returning to action this season, a new stumbling block has emerged.

It seems like for every glimmer of hope, two more complications arise in the NBA’s quest to resume its season. Or at least to open their practice facilities and get their players back in-house.

While the NBA is rolling out policies to enable certain teams to open their practice facilities, a surprise stumbling block has arisen in the form of not just out-of-market players, but the return of international players who went back home after the league suspended its season.

Detroit Pistons rookie Sekou Doumbouya returned home to France after the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and on Friday ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported that Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic had also returned to his home nation of Slovenia:

"Flying back to the team’s home city presents an extra challenge. Foreign-born players such as the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic, who flew home on a private jet to Slovenia after the NBA shutdown, according to sources, will have to fly back to the United States and then quarantine. Even players who flew out of state during the shutdown will have to make their way back and then quarantine."

Whether or not teams open their facilities, it’s highly unlikely any players currently overseas will be eager to undergo the hassle of coming back to the United States any earlier than necessary. Going through the required quarantine period just to practice under the strict and inconvenient safety regulations each NBA team will be enacting will surely be disqualifying for just about all of them.

Of course, requiring players to return to their home markets while a global pandemic rages on is a complete non-starter, especially when it’s just for limited and restricted forms of practice. But the desire to re-integrate international players may be something the NBA will have to spend some extra time figuring out how to enact.

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