SAN ANTONIO – The National Basketball Association has suspended the 2019-20 season to prevent spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), and following in the steps of other franchises and players, the San Antonio Spurs have pledged to cover their employees' pay through the end of the season.
- Pledging over $500,000 fund for part-time employees
- Spurs played Brooklyn Nets on March 6; 4 players positive for virus
“As San Antonio feels the ripple effects of the difficult decisions we have all had to make because of this global pandemic, we know that few will feel this more than the members of our community who rely on hourly and part-time employment to take care of their families,” said Spurs Sports & Entertainment Chairman Peter J. Holt.
SS&E announced earlier this week the formation of a fund totaling over $500,000 will ensure that the organization’s part-time employees will be paid through the end of the Spurs and San Antonio Rampage seasons.
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“Spurs Sports & Entertainment is a values-based organization, and taking care of our entire staff – both full time and part time – was never a question of ‘if,’ but of ‘how.' I’m pleased to say that after spending the last few days examining every option together, our leadership team has found a way to ensure that these invaluable members of the SS&E Family will be provided for,” Holt added.
Around the NBA, cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in several players, including four on the Brooklyn Nets, of which two-time NBA champion and Finals MVP Kevin Durant was one. The Spurs played the Nets on March 6, days before the season was suspended.
Brooklyn’s most recent game was March 10 in Los Angeles against the Lakers. After the Nets announced their test results, the Lakers indicated that their team will now be tested.
NBA spokesman Mike Bass later said that public health officials and team physicians had concerns that players — because of their direct contact with each other and interactions with the general public, “could accelerate the spread of the virus.”
The number of total players tested has not been confirmed.
As much of the sports world has been affected by the spread of the virus--also in question in the sports world is the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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U.S. men’s assistant coach Steve Kerr, coach of the Golden State Warriors, said on a conference call Tuesday that he has had some recent contact with U.S. head coach Gregg Popovich of the Spurs as plans for the Olympics continue.
The Olympics are scheduled to start July 24. The International Olympic Committee said Tuesday that the uncertainty of things right now is “an unprecedented situation for the whole world.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.