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The Los Angeles Lakers could resume their training at the UCLA Health Training Center, as Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported on Saturday that, beginning May 1, the NBA will allow certain teams to re-open their training facilities.
Beginning on May 1, the NBA is allowing teams to open their practice facilities to players in cities and states where local governments have eased stay-at-home orders, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 25, 2020
The NBA shut down training facilities on March 19. Around the same time, gyms were closed across the nation. Since then, players have been working out from home with the guidance of their training staffs in an effort to stay in shape for when the season returns.
Now, players will have some normalcy back in their day-to-day routines, but there will still be restrictions:
Sources: Teams will be allowed to make facilities open to players on a voluntary basis for individual work, but larger group workouts will still be prohibited. In NBA markets that aren't loosening restrictions, league plans to work w/ teams on other arrangements for players. https://t.co/yZSKsXedW1
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 25, 2020
In addition, the opening of the practice facilities doesn’t necessarily mean the NBA is on the verge of announcing its return:
NBA's decision on opening practice facilities to players in markets where governments may be loosening stay-at-home orders doesn't mean a resumption of season is imminent. The NBA is still unsure on if/when it can play again. But getting players safely into gyms was a priority.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 25, 2020
What it does mean, though, is that more players will be better conditioned to play what will likely be postseason-intensity basketball this year. The workouts players have been doing at home is definitely better than nothing, but most of them don’t have at-home gyms or basketball hoops because they haven’t needed to. With a full-sized court, a personal trainer and/or a few essential members of the training staff, the Lakers can start to get back into the swing of things.
The Lakers will be in an especially good position because their training facility feature two NBA regulation courts and eight baskets, so staying six-feet away shouldn’t be a problem. Obviously there are things that are much bigger than basketball, but as long as the Lakers are following the state and the CDC’s health and safety guidelines, they should be in good shape — both literally and figuratively.
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