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NBPA Polls Players About Season's Possible Return

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TV-G
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1:34

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Madelyn Burke: As the NBA examines possible ways to resume its season or at least play a post-season, regional representatives of the Players Association have reportedly begun texting players to gauge interest in resuming play. I'm joined now by SI NBA writer Rohan Nadkarni and Rohan, the Players Association released a statement saying the NBPA is not engaging in any formal poll of its players but what is the benefit of this informal poll here?

Rohan Nadkarni: I think they're trying to figure out, you know, is every player even on board with the idea of coming back? I think eight ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reporting that Adam Silver sat in a conference call with basically the entire players association on Friday; that he couldn't necessarily guarantee their safety with 100 percent confidence in the event that they return. I think the Players Association, they've been involved in this process from the beginning. They're working with the league on solutions, but they can only come back if they have the full support of every player. I think they're trying to find out "is it worth it for these guys to come back?" Obviously, the players have a huge incentive, as do the owners and everyone involved, for everyone to make money again and not have to start from scratch with the CBA. Yet for some players, those concerns might not outweigh their health concerns.

Madelyn Burke: Right. And if we compare this to other sporting events that have been held amid this pandemic, UFC, for example, fighters had to sign a contract saying that they will not hold the UFC liable if they do contract COVID-19. Rohan, thank you so much for the insight.