Report: Philadelphia 76ers Practice Facility in New Jersey Remains Closed

Despite the NBA allowing specific teams to open up practice facilities so players can voluntarily participate in individual workouts, the Philadelphia 76ers' New Jersey-based facility remains closed. By now, it's no secret that New Jersey was one of the states to get hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Therefore, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is at a slower pace to opening the state back up in comparison to others around the country. And as long as the strict stay-at-home orders remain in place, the Sixers are going to have to hold off on allowing their players to begin entering the practice facility for the time being.
A couple of weeks ago, John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia reported the Sixers were talking with state officials in New Jersey about the possibility of opening up the practice facility soon. As of Friday, the team still hasn't been cleared to do so, according to a report from the PhillyVoice's Kyle Neubeck.
"As of Friday and, according to officials, through the holiday weekend, the Sixers continue to wait on the go-ahead from the powers that be to reopen their own practice facility. It is not a situation they are in control of, with New Jersey one of the hardest-hit states in the country, but the COVID-19 pandemic has nonetheless left them where they were before quarantine began: behind a lot of their competition."
At this point, more than half of the NBA has its practice facilities open. Eighteen teams, to be exact. When the NBA permitted teams to start opening back on May 8th, the 76ers expected to be slightly behind everybody else considering the state of New Jersey.
A few weeks back, Sixers' General Manager Elton Brand mentioned the team's G League facility could be an option. As the rest of the league gets their players back in action, the Sixers might have to consider moving their operation over to Delaware for the time being.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia
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