Miami Heat President Pat Riley isn’t expected to join the team if the NBA opts to restart the 2019/20 season.
League Commissioner Adam Silver decided to suspend play on March 11 after Utah Jazz star center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 and things remain uncertain amid the current pandemic. However, they also appear to be moving in the direction of a restart in late July that would see games played at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.
If that turns out to be the case, Riley won’t be joining the Heat in the bubble, according to Ira Winderman.
Winderman wrote in the Sun Sentinel:
“For the Heat, the ultimate call on who’s in and who’s out will come down to Riley, in consultation with the team’s and league’s medical staffs. The irony is that Riley, who turned 75 in March, is expected to be left to monitor the team from a distance, in South Florida.”
COVID-19 is thought to be particularly deadly to senior citizens and Riley, 75, falls in such a category. Staying away from team affairs from a physical standpoint would be the most prudent thing to do considering the circumstances.
