The Sacramento Kings Have Arrived In Orlando For The NBA Restart
Jul 9, 2020, 9:14 AM | Updated: 9:18 am
(Photo by Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images)
(Photo by Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Sacramento players and personnel will quarantine until Friday before having their first practice
Almost four months ago, the NBA season was put in limbo after the coronavirus (COVID-19) took the world by storm.
Today, the season takes another step forward in returning as the Sacramento Kings and 21 other teams have arrived at the Walt Disney World Resort to prepare for the restart of the 2019-20 season.
All players and team personnel from each team will remain in their respective hotel rooms to quarantine until they are cleared for practicing later this week.
The Kings will begin practicing this weekend, starting with sessions on Friday and Saturday, according to Jason Jones of The Athletic.
Three members of the team–Buddy Hield, Alex Len and Jabari Parker–tested positive for COVID-19 back in late June.
As of Thursday morning, the statuses of each player is unkown.
To be cleared for practice and gameplay, each player must test negative for the virus twice and be cleared by the medical team. All three players have said they will be ready for the resumption of the season later this month.
Sacramento will be able to get settled in and practice for the next week-plus before playing their first scrimmage on Wednesday, July 22nd against the Miami Heat.
The team will play three scrimmages before opening up their eight-game regular season slate on July 31st against San Antonio.
While there will be no fans, it will be the closest resemblance to playoff basketball that Kings fans have seen in over a decade. Every game has immeasurable meaning, with Sacramento only 3.5 games back of the eighth-seed spot.
It’s almost time for basketball.
