Many players on the Los Angeles Lakers don't have personal basketball courts in their homes. Players like Kyle Kuzma, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis have had difficulty getting access to a private gym during the recent stay-at-home orders in California due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, James has not only found a private gym to workout in, but has been holding private workouts with 1-2 teammates during the stay-at-home orders.
"For example in LA, LeBron James has held private workouts with 1-2 teammates at a time at a closed-off, private location, on-court, I'm told," said Charania in a video interview posted on Twitter on Thursday. "All the safety measures have been taken, I'm told. Everyone involved has been tested, everyone involved as practiced social distancing, everyone involved has taken the necessary steps to make sure they're following the guidelines."
What makes Charania's report interesting, is that he also tweeted out on April 27 that NBA teams were informed via a memo by the NBA, that players were not allowed to use any training or practice facility for workouts other than their team's NBA facility if it was open.
Citizens in Los Angeles County have been allowed to exercise during the stay-at-home orders, and as Charania mentioned, James and his teammates have reportedly followed all health and safety guidelines. Therefore, it's unclear if James and his teammates were doing anything disallowed by the NBA by holding private workouts.
Charania also mentioned that James and the Lakers are not the only team to have held private workouts together. In the same interview, Charania said he has heard the Clippers have done the same.
"The Clippers I'm told have had some players do the same in terms of working out and getting together on the court," he said.
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Both the Clippers and Lakers practice facilities reopened last Saturday for the first time since the NBA suspended the season on March 11. Under the reopening guidelines, players have to have their temperature checked when they enter the facility, answer questions from medical experts, remove their shoes before entering, wear a mask throughout the facility (except while shooting on the court), and only four players are allowed in the building at one time, and none of those players are allowed to workout together.
Both the Lakers and Clippers likely held these private workouts in order to maintain their fitness, playing shape, and team chemistry. Currently, the Lakers and Clippers are No. 1 and No. 2 in the NBA Western Conference standings, and are the favorites to meet in the Western Conference Finals once the season resumes.
The NBA took a massive first step in the resumption of the season when it was reported that Disney World in Orlando, Florida has become the frontrunner to host the league. Potential dates when teams can train and practice together, as well as a start date to the season reopening in Orlando was also reported.
