Unchecked: NBA Players Being Tested for Coronavirus Is Not the Problem

NBA players being tested for coronavirus shouldn't make you mad. That energy should be directed somewhere else.

Is NBA players getting tested for coronavirus really what people are mad about? I’d suggest taking that energy somewhere else. After all, Adam Silver is right. Many people started taking this seriously because of the NBA.

When they stopped play, other sports and businesses started to follow suit. That’s just the truth. And Silver isn’t the President, he’s the commissioner of the National Basketball Association. Or as the executive director of the NBA Players Association Michele Roberts put it, "The problem that more of us can't get the tests—and I'm not apologetic about saying it—in my view, that rests at the foot of the federal government." I didn’t hear anyone from the NBA calling what became a pandemic a hoax. Again, the league is the reason a lot of people are now woke. 

That’s not to minimize this struggle for anyone. It has ranged from anxiety ridden to terrifying to heartbreaking for almost everybody. But the NBA knew they had players who had coronavirus. And those players interacted with other teams who then did so with the outside world. 

Four players on the Brooklyn Nets alone tested positive, including Kevin Durant. That’s nearly one third of the team. I don’t think we should be angry about an organization taking care of its employees.

I agree that being rich and famous shouldn’t grant one access over someone who is sick but that doesn’t mean professional basketball players should be the poster child for societal inequities and problems with the healthcare system.

There's a shortage of coronavirus tests in the U.S. But that's not stopping celebrities, professional athletes and other rich, famous and powerful people from getting tested. https://t.co/sqGHzx8Sbj

— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 19, 2020

Remember, for many, it was all good just a week ago and it maybe took the NBA and Tom Hanks for this to resonate. I’m hopeful everyone is ok. And I’m also hopeful the league can resume safe play. 

Because their game will do a lot more for us than your blame.