In addition to concerns about racial injustice and social unrest in the United States, as well as the safety of going to the Disney World in Florida amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that has claimed at least 117,000 American lives, Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma was one of several young players who voiced their concerns about the quick return to high-stakes basketball and an injury that could damage their future earning potential, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Kuzma, along with young All-Stars such as Bam Adebayo, Donovan Mitchell, and Jayson Tatum, were among the young players with name-recognition to push the NBPA leadership for insurance protections in the event of a serious injury that would impact their career earnings. Mitchell, Adebayo and Tatum are all expected to get maximum extensions, while Kuzma is in line to sign a much more lucrative deal than his current one as well. The concerns about a shortened training camp and the fact the NBA has been pretty restrictive in the types of workouts allowed at team facilities have been heard for a while but are becoming even more important now.
Players have gone public in their desires for the league to allow more contact, as NBA players still aren’t allowed to work out against each other and were just this weekend allowed to work out with more than one coach, as reported by USA TODAY’s Mark Medina. Head coaches will be allowed to oversee workouts starting June 23.
As it stands right now, the league is targeting a training camp start date of July 9. Players for most teams in the league have been allowed to workout at the team facility, but they’ve all been on an individual basis and will continue to be for a while.
Details are still being discussed by the Player’s Union and the NBA, which will determine how the NBA’s “bubble” will look, and ultimately, whether it ultimately happens at all.
