The Latest: NBA's Timberwolves to reopen practice facility

The Latest: NBA's Timberwolves to reopen practice facility

SeattlePI.com

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The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:

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The Minnesota Timberwolves are poised to reopen their practice facility. They will schedule voluntary sessions for players starting Thursday.

About half of NBA teams have begun arranging workouts, since Commissioner Adam Silver gave the go-ahead two weeks ago, subject to state and local guidelines.

Only one coach and one player will be allowed on the court at Mayo Clinic Square, across the street from Target Center in downtown Minneapolis. They’ll be required to stay 12 feet apart. Workouts will be limited to 45 minutes, and areas beyond the court will remain closed. Staff members in the building must wear gloves and masks at all times. Players must wear masks, too, except when on the court. Symptom and temperature checks and contact tracing will also be conducted by team medical staff upon entry into the facility.

“Being able to come in and do something basketball-related is, frankly, a release for a lot of players, especially at a time where they’ve been cooped up for a while. I think they want to do something,” Timberwolves vice president for basketball performance and technology Robby Sikka said. “But our first priority is their safety and their welfare.”

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Former England soccer player Alex Scott will join a government task force that will examine ways for sports to resume in the country during the coronavirus pandemic.

While the Women’s Super League season looks as if it's being curtailed, the men’s Premier League still hopes to resume next month.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden says Scott “will help us think through how we can get sport back safely in a way that helps both clubs, players and supporters alike.”

Scott has been working as a television...

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