Things are about to get a lot more difficult for all of the NBA players who are having trouble coping with the lack of basketball in their lives right now. According to multiple reports, the NBA is closing all team training facilities on Friday. To make matters worse, the league has already prohibited players from using public fitness centers, gyms and college facilities as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
In other words, unless you’re a superstar athlete who has the luxury of having their own personal basketball court and gym at their home, you will not be able to train until the ban is lifted.
There still isn’t any timetable for when the NBA season could resume but the shutting down of training facilities will surely impact how quickly players will be able to get back into game shape. Los Angeles Lakers veteran forward Jared Dudley explained that injuries will be a major concern when the league resumes if all the facilities remain off limits for an extended period of time.
“Realistically depends on how long we cant use our facilities… if we can’t train properly for a month or 2 , an athlete would need at least a month starting from scratch.. injuries would be the biggest concern … so it all depends on this lay-off from our facilities.”
In addition to the league-wide training facility shutdown, the NBA has informed teams that players are no longer permitted to travel outside North America. In a memo released to each team, the NBA strongly urged players to remain in their respective cities although they are not banned from traveling within the country.