NBA, Coronavirus Update: Team USA Basketball Planning To Host Pre-Olympic Games In China

KEY POINTS

Adam Silver said that team USA Basketball might play in China this coming June
The preseason games in China won't push through if USA Basketball plays in June
The coronavirus emergency is being closely monitored by the World Health Organization

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recently announced that there are plans for Team USA to play in China as preparation for the Olympics. As tweeted by Marc Stein, Silver said that USA basketball might hold two games in July.

If the Team USA basketball games are confirmed then the scheduled preseason games in China might not push through. Although plans are still not finalized as the development of the coronavirus scare will play a big role in the status of the games. While the news is yet to be formalized, USA Basketball will name the 12-man roster in June and will have their training camp in July just in time for the games.

As Adam Silver said at his press conference, @usabasketball may play two exhibition games in China in July before heading to the Tokyo Olympics.

If those games are confirmed, Silver said the NBA "may decide not" to try to stage two preseason games in China as seen most Octobers
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 16, 2020

The safety of everyone is a concern as the World Health Organization has been monitoring the situation and is constantly providing updates to the people. The novel coronavirus has been declared as a global medical health emergency and isn’t taken lightly.

The global tally has now reached more than 71,000 people infected by the virus. While most of these are in China’s Hubei province, there have also been reports across other countries. Singapore, South Korea, The Philippines, Japan, Malaysia are among the many countries with reported cases of COVID-19.

With this, the status of the international games is yet to be decided for the league. These are usually the games held in October as an initiative to push basketball as a global sport.

The NBA was tangled in controversy in 2019 during one of the games held in China. Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey tweeted in support of the Hong Kong Protests. This caused tension to the NBA’s relationship with China where sponsorships were stripped and television broadcasts were removed in the country. While the relationship is easing up already, the financial losses are still high.

Commissioner Silver said that the league is expected to lose “hundreds and millions of dollars” due to the rift with the country. He added that the NBA could lose up to $400 million dollars.