No positive tests for COVID-19 have emerged during the past week of the new NBA season, according to the league and players’ association.
A total of 495 players were tested since Dec. 24, the NBA and NBAPA said, per Yahoo Sports. None of those players tested positive.
The 2020-21 NBA season began Dec. 22 with teams scheduled to play before reduced crowds or no fans in their own arenas. That enabled the NBA to become the first major U.S. sports league to conduct a second season during the pandemic.
The NBA did see some high-profile protocol violations last week. The Dec. 23 game between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder was postponed after three Rockets players had returned either positive or inconclusive tests.
Travel for teams has been reduced as a precaution, with squads sometimes staying in cities to play back-to-back games.
Last year's NBA playoffs were held in a "bubble" in Orlando, Fla., where players, coaches, and staff were confined while playing games. The Los Angeles Lakers won the championship on Oct. 11.
Meanwhile, college basketball has experienced game cancellations as teams pause or cancel their seasons due to coronavirus.
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