As the NBA prepares to resume the 2020 season at the end of July, there is still plenty of uncertainty. Last week, teams started their initial round of testing for COVID-19 before everyone heads to Orlando, and several players have since come back positive. Still, that reportedly won’t stop many of them from joining their teams and taking the court once they’ve recovered and gone through quarantine.
For some, however, the risks have outweighed the benefits. DeAndre Jordan, Wilson Chandler, Avery, Bradley, and Davis Bertans, among others, are opting out of the trip to Orlando. And that doesn’t just extend to players. Other league personnel have decided against participating in the restart.
On Tuesday, longtime NBA announcer Marv Albert announced that he won’t be heading to the Disney World Resort to call the games for TNT, citing health concerns as the determining factor in his decision.
Via Andrew Marchand of The New York Post:
Albert, 79, has been the longtime lead voice for Turner, but will not be a part of the coverage with the NBA planning to have its national announcers on site in the league’s bubble.
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Albert told The Post that he was growing more excited about participating on-site, but that was dampened with the recent surge of cases in Florida.
“I had second thoughts,” Albert said.
Albert will reportedly still provide periodic commentary from a remote location. At 79, Albert is in a much higher risk category for COVID-19. So far, the rest of the TNT broadcast crew plans on calling the games in Orlando, but Albert’s iconic voice will be a noticeable absence for NBA fans.