Sixers set to reopen practice facility
HERE THEY COME, EVERYBODY!!!
The 76ers’ have announced they will be reopening their practice facility on Wednesday for voluntary, individual workouts. This news comes after New Jersey Governor, Phil Murphy, lifted in-state restrictions on professional sports teams on Tuesday.
Following today’s announcement by Gov. Murphy, the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex in Camden, New Jersey will begin a phased reopening tomorrow for voluntary, individual workouts. Players and essential staff will adhere to strict safeguards in accordance with NBA guidelines. pic.twitter.com/DI3G0vfNYg
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) May 26, 2020
While voluntary workouts may not seem like much, it is big news for the Sixers and falls in line with the league’s guidelines to return to play. The NBA officially allowed practice facilities to re-open for individual workouts on May 8th, but due to the New Jersey Government’s restrictions, players were prohibited to return. Only Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid – both rehabbing injuries – were permitted to use the facility.
Now that Gov. Murphy has officially lifted restrictions, the rest of the team can join the two all-stars, but there will still be some limitations. For starters, only four players will be allowed in the facility at a time. On top of that, all activities requiring a second individual to be within 12-feet will also be prohibited. Obviously, this means scrimmages and team practice will not yet be allowed, but that may not be for long.
Last week, I wrote about the NBA’s plans to return. According to reports, the NBA is planning one to two weeks of individual workouts in June before a two- to three-week pseudo training camp in early July to prepare for the season’s resumption. With their return to Camden, the Sixers become the 22nd team in the NBA to reopen their practice facility. That leaves the Bulls, Warriors, Celtics, Spurs, Knicks, Mavericks, Pistons, and Wizards as the last eight teams to reopen their facilities. We should have a better idea of the league’s plans moving forward after a call with the Board of Governors this Friday.
