Inside The Thunder

Video: Oklahoma City Thunder Re-Open Team Facilities

We'll Tell you Why the Thunder Waited to Open their team facility doors for voluntary workouts.

Erik Gee

The Oklahoma City Thunder are opening their facility doors for voluntary workouts. While teams could start allowing players back into their gyms on May 8th, the Thunder chose to wait. 

The main concern for Oklahoma City's front office was making sure any tests used to check players and essential personnel for COVID-19 wasn't taking away from the public at large. A statement from a Thunder team spokesman says, "The Thunder Ion is re-opening today for voluntary workouts following the specific requirements and best practices the NBA and health care authorities have established."

"While our testing will be done through private resources, our state and health authorities have given us assurances that any testing of players or essential staff would not impact the needs of the community and have provided the written documentation that is required by the NBA to test any players and essential staff."

The Thunder also needed permission to check asymptomatic players. To test players that were not showing symptoms of coronavirus state health authorities are required to provide documentation, there were enough kits to test at-risk health care workers readily. 

Even though players are allowed back into the Thunder Ion, there is a strict set of guidelines they must follow. A memo released by the NBA states.

  • No more than four players would be permitted at a facility at any one time.
  • No head or assistant coaches could participate.
  • Group activity remains prohibited, including practices or scrimmages.
  • Players remain prohibited from using non-team facilities such as public health clubs, fitness centers, or gyms.

Marc Stien of the New York Times is reporting that 18 teams (including Oklahoma City) are allowing players to come in for workouts. 

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Erik Gee
ERIK GEE

With more than 20 years of experience hosting local and national radio shows, Erik Gee is a fixture of Oklahoma sports media. He has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder for the past six seasons. He is also the co-host of the Pat Jones show on 97.1 The Sports Animal in Tulsa. 

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