With less than a week until the return of NBA basketball, it appears fans will be welcomed back to a degree in certain arenas. Several teams within the last couple of months have announced that they will allow a limited number of fans at games during the 2020-21 season amid the Coronavirus pandemic. Here’s a list of these teams and what they’ll be allowing.
Toronto Raptors
The Raptors announced they are permitting a limited number of fans to attend games at Tampa’s Amalie Arena — normally home to NHL team the Tampa Bay Lightning — with plans to sell 3,800 seats for regular-season games. There will be no floor seats available, nor any seats within 30 feet of the court
Orlando Magic
The Amway Center will have a physically-distanced, limited capacity of approximately 4,000 fans for regular season games.
Memphis Grizzlies
FedExForum expects to allow roughly 20% of seating capacity, which is a little more than 3,600 fans seated six-feet apart, per Shelby County Health Department guidelines.
Utah Jazz
The arena will reopen with a reduced seating capacity of 1,500 in the lower bowl only and limited seating on the suite level. Lower and upper bowl season ticket members will be given priority access for socially distanced seating at Jazz games during the arena’s limited capacity.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, with a seating capacity of 20,562, will only allow 300 fans within arenas to begin the season. Within the initial 300-fan limit, there will also be a small inventory for season ticket holders.
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks said on Tuesday that only friends and family will be allowed entry for the first few games of the season, which begins on Dec. 22, before hosting a limited number of fans for the game on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 18. The Hawks will then plan to welcome less than 10% (about 1,650 fans) to watch the team play at State Farm Arena.
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs announced that they have targeted the Jan. 1, 2021 matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers to begin welcoming fans back to the arena in a limited capacity, pending the status of public health data and guidelines.
All other teams have not yet come to a consensus or will not allow fans within stadiums in this NBA season as of now. Many teams have come out with statements that they hope for stadiums to reopen as the year progresses.
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