Report: NBA, NBPA Agree on Insurance for Severe Injuries, COVID-19 Complications

The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association reportedly reached an agreement on an "enhanced insurance plan" related to serious injuries or COVID-19 health complications that arise from the league's restart plans at the Disney World complex in Orlando, Florida.  

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the update Tuesday, noting the group policy could cover players for "several million dollars."

Several NBA players have informed teams they've decided to sit out the remainder of the 2019-20 campaign ahead of the June 24 deadline for making their intentions known.

The league has so far decided to move forward with its restart plans, which call for games to resume July 31, despite a recent surge in coronavirus cases in Florida.

Commissioner Adam Silver said on NBA on TNT (via Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia) June 4 the league has been exploring every avenue to ensure the safest way possible to resume games.

"Of course, we've always been looking for whether or not there is an appropriate and safe way that we can resume basketball and knowing that we're going to be living with this virus for a while," Silver said. "... We've been exploring with the players whether there can be a new normal here."

Along with the health concerns, Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving made an "impassioned plea" on a conference call earlier in June for players to sit out the remainder of the campaign amid the nationwide movement against social injustice, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

"Once we start playing basketball again, the news will turn from systemic racism to who did what in the game last night. It's a crucial time for us to be able to play and blend that and impact what's happening in our communities," an unnamed NBA player told ESPN. "We are asking ourselves, 'Where and how can we make the biggest impact?' Mental health is part of the discussion too, and how we handle all of that in a bubble."

The NBA and the Players Association are expected to agree on expanded rosters to help teams navigate issues related to players skipping the restart, injuries and potential COVID-19 absences, per CBS Sports' Jasmyn Wimbish.

It's a tight timetable to finalize the details with teams expected to start arriving in Orlando on July 7.

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Bleacher Report's David Gardner interviews athletes and other sports figures for the podcast How to Survive Without Sports.