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The Wizards were one of the few NBA teams whose practice facilities were closed until Friday

Teams in many of the biggest markets in the United States are still not opening their facilities yet, including here in the nation’s capital.

By Albert Lee Updated
NBA Announces Possible Re-Opening Of Team Practice Facilities Starting In May Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

UPDATE: The Wizards opened their practice facility earlier today for individual workouts.

The original post is below.

The NBA may be issuing guidelines to teams in the coming days. Most teams have now opened their practice facilities for individual workouts. However, as of Thursday, the Washington Wizards’ practice facility next to the Entertainment and Sports Arena remains closed, according to ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz. The other teams whose facilities remain closed are the Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.

Though Washington, D.C. is beginning to reopen stores and non-essential businesses due to the coronavirus pandemic, fitness facilities remain closed. That could put the Wizards at a disadvantage if and when the facility opens again.

It is also not surprising that the teams whose facilities remain closed are mostly in bigger metropolitan areas that were early hotspots of the coronavirus in the last couple months, such as New York and the Bay Area.

If the Wizards’ facility remains closed beyond mid-June, it’s possible that the team may have to practice somewhere else, if their season continues altogether. It’s possible that the Wizards’ season may end even if the NBA continues starting with a playoff field that excludes them. The next week should be very interesting to see since one thing appears certain: the NBA won’t have an 82-game regular season in 2019-20.

We will update this if something changes in the hours (or minutes) after this post,