How NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s decision may have slowed coronavirus spread in sports
CLOSE USA TODAY Sports’ Mark Medina breaks down the latest on how the NBA is dealing with COVID-19. USA TODAYNBA Commissioner Adam Silver woke up a week ago facing an important day. Coronavirus and the growing outbreak was the focus and dominated his meetings.Early calls with medical experts and other contacts. A meeting with National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts at the league office. An advisory finance committee meeting via conference call. A Board of Governors conference call with team owners.He had no idea how important the day would become, not just to the NBA but to the sports world as a whole.By late in the day, Silver had suspended the NBA season following Utah Jazz All-Star center Rudy Gobert’s positive COVID-19 test.Maybe out of necessity, but Silver’s decision came at the right time. Six other NBA players have tested positive, including four players on the Brooklyn Nets, two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant among them. Silver’s decision set off a chain of events that led to the postponement of several high-profile sporting events for millions of people, including the NCAA men’s and women’s tournaments, the NHL season, MLB’s spring training and the Masters, to name a few. And the NBA’s