The NBA’s re-start seems imminent, but not all players are on board

The NBA’s re-start seems imminent after what will ultimately be a four-and-a-half month hiatus, but not all players are fully comfortable with these plans.

A week ago the NBA’s return to action was all the buzz, at least in the sports world. After a long layoff of over four months, the league announced plans to get back in gear in a bubble environment at Walt Disney World’s Wide World of Sports.

We’re already nearly three months removed from major American sports, and just the idea that one of the leagues could be back soon was thrilling. The NBA’s Board of Governors was on board with the plan, the media partners were happy with the deal, a conference call among the league’s superstars provided a unanimous front to get back to work.

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Between the owners, the media partners and the superstars, that’s almost every element the NBA needs to happily re-start action. However, it’s easy to forget sometimes that the NBA is planning a return to action in the middle of a pandemic, one that’s claimed over 114,000 lives in America and over 404,000 lives globally, with most of these deaths coming in the past three months.

It’s a fact that’s not lost among many NBA players, and rumblings of discomfort with the league’s rush to get back to play have begun to emerge. On Wednesday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that this discomfort had manifested itself in the form of at the very least a conference call among dozens of concerned players.

Primary among these concerns is the question of whether returning to play in Orlando is actually a good idea in the first place. While they would be playing in a bubble environment with strict regulations, frequent and rigorous testing, it’s not hard to see how things could go badly.

Florida itself is a dubious location given their lateness to shut things down and their eagerness to re-open, largely in an effort to woo sports leagues to bring their activities to the state. As other states around the United States re-open, trends remain troubling nationally.

Many players have families and dependents and their concern will not be simply for themselves, but those traveling with them as well. The NBA has made it clear that there will not be penalties imposed on any player who chooses not to participate when the season resumes, but that doesn’t address the core question they ask:

Is it actually a good idea for the NBA to return this season?