NBA basketball may be back much sooner than expected.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the NBA board of governors has been discussing when the next NBA season will begin. The current plan is to start the season just before Christmas. Initially, the NBA sought to delay the season until fans would be allowed back into arenas due to Covid-19 restrictions. NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver has said that fans coming to games makes up about 40 percent of the league’s revenue. The NBA deciding to go on with next season with the possibility of not having fans is a clear sign of the league’s lack of confidence in the restrictions to be lifted in time to get fans in their arenas.
If the next NBA season does begin in December, it is likely it will be shortened from the usual 82 game schedule to around 70 games. Other possible changes to next season include eliminating the All-Star game and bringing back the play-in tournament from this past season.
Wojnarowski also reported that the NBA and NBPA have set a deadline of Oct. 30 to complete discussions on next season. If no decision is made by the deadline, it’s unlikely that the season will start until the next calendar year. However, the expectation around the league is that a final decision will be made this week bringing basketball back just two months after the Finals ended. If a deal is made and the season begins before Christmas, the NBA will be following up its longest season ever with its quickest turnaround in league history.
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