The 2019-20 NBA season is currently on a hiatus due to the novel coronavirus, and the league’s players will be under less scrutiny as a result.
According to a Monday report from Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes, the NBA will not be drug testing its players during the current suspension.
“The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have reached an agreement to not subject players to drug testing during the hiatus caused by the coronavirus, league sources told Yahoo Sports,” Haynes wrote.
“Players typically undergo ‘six random, unannounced urine drug tests during each season and off-season,’ as stated in Article XXXIII of the collective bargaining agreement.
“This rare agreement is only temporary, sources said.”
The move by the league indicates just how seriously it is taking the current suspension.
Instead of having its players worry about having to potentially get tested, they can now focus entirely on staying healthy and safe.
It has certainly been hard to go without the NBA for much of the past week. That absence has been made even harder due to the uncertainty of when the league will actually return.
