Chris Paul, top Priorities are Health and Safety

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul says health and safety are the NBA's top priority as players get back to work for the upcoming reboot. Paul, who is president of the players association, spoke during a conference call Friday afternoon.

"The top priority going back Is health and safety."... "Mental health is the thing a lot of us are thinking of first." "We're going into a tough situation." Thunder players will leave behind their families and friends for a world of isolation in Orlando.

Chris Paul: “The top priority going back Is health and safety. ... Mental health is the thing a lot of us are thinking of first. We’re going into a tough situation.” Credits Kevin Love and DeMar DeRozan for creating a comfort level in talking about mental health issues.
— tribjazz (@tribjazz) June 26, 2020

While there will be creature comforts such as movies, video games, and DJ parties, contact will be limited to those inside the bubble. Teams are being encouraged to bring mental health experts as part of their traveling party.

Separation anxiety, along with worries of catching COVID-19 and current social unrest, could take a toll on players' mentalities the longer they are at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex. When it comes to the current race relations here in the United StatesPaul says you can expect players to use their platform to speak out.

Chris Paul: "You're going to continue to hear us. This isn't a 'Shut up and dribble' situation."
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) June 26, 2020

"You're going to continue to hear us.".. "This isn't a 'Shut up and dribble' situation." Paul's close friend LeBron James is calling on NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to apologize to Colin Kaepernick for being blackballed.

"As far as the NFL, I'm not in those locker rooms, I'm not with those guys, but I do understand that an apology — I had not heard a true, official apology to Colin Kaepernick on what he was going through and what he was trying to tell the NFL and tell the world about why he was kneeling when he was doing that as a San Francisco 49er."... "I just see that to be still wrong."

"Now, they are listening to some, but I still think we have not heard that official apology to a man who basically sacrificed everything for the better of this world."

As far as Florida becoming a hot spot for coronavirus cases, NBA commissioner Adam Silver adds, "My ultimate conclusion is we can't outrun the virus, and we are going to be living with this for the foreseeable future." Florida reported 8,942 new positive tests for COVID-19 on Friday.

16 NBA players are currently being diagnosed with coronavirus.

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