Mark Cuban on Resuming the NBA Season—and How Bad a COVID-19 Outbreak Would Have to Get to Stop Again
Mark Cuban said he’s optimistic about the NBA season that is set to resume later this month — even as the number of COVID-19 cases is rising in many parts of the country.
“There’s obviously a risk, but each and every day the science improves and the medical response has gotten smarter,” the Dallas Mavericks owner said in a TIME 100 Talks discussion with senior sports correspondent Sean Gregory. The 2019-2020 season, which was suspended on March 11 after multiple players tested positive for COVID-19, is set to start on July 30 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports located in the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. (Earlier, during the same TIME 100 Talks session, NBA commissioner Adam Silver couldn’t guarantee that the season would definitely happen. “[It’s] never ‘full steam no matter what,’” Silver said.)
Cuban says that as it kicks off, his biggest concern is players’ mental health. Teams will be on the resort grounds for an extended period of time in a so-called “bubble,” unable to leave the resort grounds and staying away from loved ones. “There are going to be so many restrictions th…
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