Hoops Hall mulls date for Bryant, Class of 2020 induction ceremony
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame was gearing up for a great year: not just the all- butcertain election of NBA superstars like Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan, but also a chance to unveil a completely renovated museum.
Because of the coronavirus outbreak, the reopening has been pushed back two months to July 1 and the induction ceremony — which will posthumously honor Bryant along with longtime college coach Eddie Sutton — is being postponed, either to October or the spring. A commemorative coin that was supposed to be released at the Final Four will instead go on sale Thursday.
“All of these things are going to happen. It’s just a matter of the timing’s going to be delayed,“Hall president and CEO John Doleva said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press.
“We will have the most remarkable class ever, when that happens. We didn’t plan it this way and it’s not the way we would have chosen to do it,“he said. “But we’re fortunate that our plans were able to remain in place, even though the timing has changed.”
The Hall’s Class of 2020 includes Bryant, Garnett, Duncan and WNBA star Tamika Catchings — all elected in their first year of eligibility. Also to be honored by the Springfield, Massachusetts, shrine are Sutton, who died last month, and fellow coaches Rudy Tomjanovich, Kim Mulkey and Barbara Stevens, along with former FIBA Secretary General Patrick Baumann.
Doleva confirmed that induction weekend will not be held on Aug. 28- 30, as originally planned; the Hall is hoping to announce a new date by mid- June. Complicating the potential possibility of a spring 2021 induction: The Hall doesn’t know what the NBA and college basketball seasons will look like then.
“Finding a date in that period of time that’s going to work in the new basketball schedule is a bit of a trick,” Doleva said. “It is correct that the August date is done. The October date is still in play and the spring is the backup for that.”
At least one thing will be different for this year’s ceremony: The Hall will “break protocol a little bit” and allow family members to speak on behalf of honorees who are being inducted posthumously. Previously, they were presented only on video.
DENVER — Seasonal colds and the flu spread through NFL locker rooms just about every year, sending some players home sick while others slog through practices hoping they’ll feel better by game day.
Last December, the Patriots flew two airplanes to Houston to keep the healthy players apart from sick ones, which included seven starters. On the final weekend of the 2016 season, the Raiders were ravaged by a bug that swept through their entire roster and waylaid hopes of a deep playoff run.
Now, teams have COVID- 19 to worry about.
Offseason workout programs have been entirely virtual since the league closed team facilities in March because of the coronavirus pandemic. Coaches began returning to their offices Friday but players not seeking treatment for injuries probably won’t be allowed to return until training camps open next month.
Many players polled by The Associated Press say they’re scared to return to work without a cure or a vaccine for the coronavirus that has infected millions worldwide and killed more than 100,000 Americans. But they’re putting their trust in the health protocols the NFL’s medical staff is developing for practices to resume and games to return.
Safeguards are expected to include daily temperature checks and frequent virus tests, with sick players quarantined for two weeks.
The only players allowed into team headquarters over the last three months are those rehabbing from serious injuries. One of those is Broncos edge rusher Bradley Chubb, who missed most of last season with a torn knee ligament.
“To be honest, playing football is like my No. 1 goal right now just because of the whole injury thing,” Chubb told The AP, “but I feel like when it comes to the coronavirus, the NFL has great leaders in place to make sure we’re going to be back in the safest way possible. I know these guys are going to come up with a solution.”
That appears to be a common sentiment across the league.
“I’m not too concerned,” Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson said. “I think that if we’re going to be put back in the facility, I think measures are going to be taken. I think that a plan will be had and I think that enough research and stuff will have been done to put everybody in the best kind of situation.”
Robinson said being in a locker room is no different than office, restaurant or factory workers who have returned to their jobs recently under new rules designed to mitigate the spread of the virus that has devastated the global economy.
“People are close upon each other every day that are working together, so I think that as everyone kind of gets back to work, I think that with a good plan … everything will be fine,” Robinson said. “I’m not too worried. It’s not anything in my control, so if I’m back in the locker room and back playing, my level of concern will be pretty low.”
Staying safe and healthy is more important than ever, suggested Falcons center Alex Mack.
“It’s definitely a concern this year,” Mack said. “Every year during cold and flu seasons, they harp on us to get our flu shot. We’re aware of the risks of that. It’s always in the mind of the team to make sure guys are healthy. You’re don’t want half a team missing practice time. You don’t want a bunch of guys sick on game day.”