SAN ANTONIO -- The San Antonio Spurs will be heading to Orlando at the end of the week as one of 22 teams selected to be part of the NBA restart amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Spurs held their first virtual press conference on Thursday since the 2019-20 NBA season came to a screeching halt in mid-March when a Utah Jazz player tested positive for COVID-19 before a game.

DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl addressed the media from the practice facility, as the chair used to place them in front of the camera was wiped down between uses.

“I never thought I’d be playing in the NBA one night and the next night, all sports are canceled,” DeRozan said.

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San Antonio played their last game on March 10, in a win against the Dallas Mavericks, which DeRozan said was a big moment for the team. The Spurs finished their partial season 26-37, sitting 12th in the Western Conference, allowing them just enough momentum to snag a spot in the tournament-style NBA reboot in Orlando.

Players will start arriving at the Disney complex on July 7 and will be tested daily once they get there. They could be away from their families for more than three months.

DeRozan, an advocate for mental health, said living through a pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement has been a learning experience and a challenge, and he’s been focused on not thinking beyond the present moment.

“It’s hard to make sense of what’s going on in our country, because it’s been going on forever,” DeRozan said regarding the fight for social justice.

Although the Spurs guard said he struggled with the idea of playing, he said coming back is a second chance for everyone and that he plans to take advantage of the isolation in Orlando by continuing to self-educate.

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The Spurs will be without their top scorer LaMarcus Aldridge for the remainder of the season while he recovers from surgery on his right shoulder, which causes more concerns for the team's postseason chances.

“Everyone needs to step up to fill that role ..  every game is gonna count.” Poeltl said.

San Antonio has been to the playoffs in 22 consecutive seasons, matching the longest streak in NBA history. But the team will be among three others that are separated by just a half-game in the race for ninth place in the Western Conference and potentially a berth in a play-in series.

The teams will play an 8-game "best-of" slate to acquire the spot.

As the players returned to the Alamo City, concern has risen about the state of the city that many team members call home.

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“It’s hard to see people not taking necessary precautions,” Poeltl said in response to the exponential growth of positive COVID-19 cases in San Antonio.

DeRozan’s message for San Antonio was simply for residents to be considerate of others.

The Spurs will take these concerns with them to Orlando, as COVID-19 cases rise there as well, and opinions on safety vary. While Poeltl expressed a hopeful outlook regarding NBA safety precautions, DeRozan said the NBA rulebook for the “bubble” ignites frustrations.

San Antonio will play its first game back on July 31 at 7 p.m. against the Sacramento Kings.