Report: NBA to Allow Open Practice Facilities Where Stay-At-Home Orders Have Been Eased

The NBA will begin to allow teams to re-open practice facilities in areas where stay-at-home orders have been eased starting on May 1, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The efforts will reportedly allow players to work in practice facilities on a voluntary basis for individual work only, with large group workouts still prohibited. Teams whose state has not loosened stay-at-home are expected to work with the NBA to determine arrangements for players, per Wojnarowski. 

As businesses are beginning to be opened in certain states, including Georgia, NBA players have reportedly started to ask teams if they should consider traveling to gyms to work out. The league wants players to stay away from public places and instead have access to "safe/clean team environments."

The NBA's decision to allow practice facilities to be re-opened in certain areas does not mean the season is close to being resumed, according to Wojnarowski. Allowing players to train safely in gyms was a "priority" for the league, even though it is still unsure if or when games can again be played. 

The NBA became the first league to suspend its season and close practice facilities after Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus on March 11. Commissioner Adam Silver says the league will not consider a potential return to play until at least May 1. 

Gobert, Donovan Mitchell and other NBA players have since been cleared of COVID-19 symptoms since the season's suspension. Karl-Anthony Towns's mother, Jaqueline, died on April 13 after battling the coronavirus.