Joe Ingles will make the tough decision to be away from his pregnant wife and two young children for what could be three months as the Utah Jazz pursue an elusive NBA title.
The NBA Board of Governors on Thursday approved a plan to restart the season.
The Jazz and 21 other teams will live and play within a "bubble" at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.
Ingles is excited to suit up for the Jazz after the COVID-19 pandemic paused the season in March, but the health of his retired netball star wife Renae and three-year-old twins Milla and Jacob was paramount.
"The flip side for me, which breaks your heart, is 'what you do with your family?'," Ingles told Utah's The Zone Sport Network on Thursday.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BsAELbOnhGN/Families may be allowed to join players in Orlando but that was not an option for Ingles with Renae's pregnancy and Jacob, who has autism, more susceptible to coronavirus.
Ingles said his wife and children may fly back to Australia and that he will join them when the NBA season concludes.
Australia's strict quarantine rules raise another issue.
"You have to quarantine for two weeks in a hotel if you fly back to Australia and obviously with a pregnant wife and two near four-year-olds, that's pretty hard to do," he said.
"It's hard enough in a house to quarantine, never mind a hotel."
They may apply for an exemption to do the 14-day quarantine at their home.
The first game of the NBA season restart is pencilled in for July 31.
The playoffs and championship series are scheduled to end on October 12.
Ben Simmons' Philadelphia 76ers, Aron Baynes' Phoenix Suns and Patty Mills' San Antonio Spurs will join Ingles' Jazz in Orlando.
The nine teams out of play-off contention - including Matthew Dellavedova's Cleveland Cavaliers, Thon Maker's Detroit Pistons and former champions Golden State Warriors - will not be involved when the season resumes.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6f0Mc1nq4n/The NBA games will be played in empty arenas, something Ingles has not encountered since he was in high school.
"It's going to be really bizarre," he said.
Ingles said he has never visited a Disney amusement park and has no desire to use free time to go on a ride in Orlando.
"I'm not going to be riding the Indiana Jones roller coaster in between," he said.
"I'd feel sick for that anyway."
He said he will take note of the resumption of the AFL season to see how players fare injury-wise during the interrupted season.
from WWOS https://wwos.nine.com.au/basketball/tough-family-choice-for-ingles-nba-return/fddb6efd-6052-4ac1-94e7-55a1099c685e
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