The NBA is currently in a state of pause. With the league being suspended due to concerns with COVID-19 aka coronavirus there is nothing the league can do at the moment besides wait until the public health crisis subsides. This cease of operations is going beyond the court, too.
No trades, no roster moves, no practice, and now no drug tests, either. According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports, the NBA will not be doing any drug testing during the current suspension of the league. As long as the NBA is suspended for coronavirus, the players are free from taking part in any testing, which is probably for the best as any tests would require people to leave the house, which would go against social distancing and self quarantining.
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.
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 NBA and NBPA have been in constant contact with each other throughout the suspension as they enter a territory they’re completely unfamiliar with. How do you run a sports league that is in limbo? So far they’ve managed to make a lot of progress and helped quell some fears about a supposed “doomsday” provision that exists in the CBA, but so far there is no clear cut answer on if players will continue to be paid during the suspension.
