NBA will allow teams to practice in states with reduced lockdowns

The National Basketball Association will begin permitting some of its teams to resume practicing in their facilities next week, though only in the states where governors have begun to ease their coronavirus lockdown orders, according to sources with knowledge of the policy. 

The league's decision, which will go into effect on Friday, represents a potentially significant step in the world of professional American sports, an industry which has effectively ceased to operate since mid-March when most associations suspended or cancelled their seasons. 

Sources told ESPN that the association is still uncertain if or when it will resume its normal timetable for this season. Commissioner Adam Silver said earlier in the month that the NBA would make no announcement during the month of April as to whether the current season would be permanently cancelled. 

Yet the decision to re-open practice facilities in states with eased shutdowns suggests that the NBA may very well be eying a resumption of its normal schedule depending on the decisions of state governors and the U.S.'s progress in managing the pandemic. 

NBA teams who are allowed to meet up will still be prohibited from working out together or holding organized team activities, according to sources.