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Report: NBA closes team facilities, bans player travel outside North America

Sam Forencich / National Basketball Association / Getty

The NBA will close all team training facilities to both players and staff Friday in an attempt to curb the coronavirus outbreak, sources told Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The league is also banning players from traveling outside of North America, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

In a memo last week, organized team practices were banned, but facilities were allowed to stay open for players wanting to partake in individual workouts.

Both the league and its teams had grown uneasy about allowing contact between people, even in individual sessions, according to Wojnarowski.

The NBA already forbids players from using public training facilities such as fitness centers and gyms, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps. By indefinitely shuttering team facilities to all personnel, players are essentially limited to workouts in home gyms if possible.

Los Angeles Lakers forward Jared Dudley said Thursday players could need at least another month to return to game shape if they're barred from team facilities for an extended period.

Initially, players were prohibited from traveling outside their team's market. The NBA softened that restriction in Saturday's memo, though, informing franchises players can move out of those markets with permission from their organizations.

However, players are still being told to take aggressive measures and remain home as much as possible, according to Charania.

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