hile the NBA has made no official announcement of resuming play many recent leaks have given fans a fragment of hope. There are 3 main bodies that will need to sign off before the NBA Season can resume: 1) the players and NBAPA 2) the team owners 3) Commissioner Adam Silver.
Players Want to Resume NBA Season
Several stars have reportedly been in communication about resuming the league’s 2019-20 season. According to Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes, LeBron James and Chris Paul (NBAPA President), James Harden, and Kevin Durant are among the superstars on a “private conference call” as they seek to resume the suspended season.
On the same day, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the players’ association was “polling” its members on whether they wanted to play again this season or not, the NBPA later recanted the report, calling its player outbreak “informal.”
Owners Remain Optimistic for NBA Season Finishing
The league’s board of governors had a positive call Tuesday with NBA commissioner Adam Silver and members of the NBA Players Association which left them “feeling increasingly positive about the league’s momentum toward a resumption of play this season,” Wojnarowski reported Tuesday night.
“Owners and executives on the call were encouraged about the league’s progress toward minimizing health risk upon a return and the league office’s positive conversations with the National Basketball Players Association about the players’ desire to eventually restart the season,” Wojnarowski reported.
Adam Silver Makes His Decision
In Tuesday’s conference call, Adam Silver stated his intent to bring consensus within league and not make the decision alone. He decided that the league in entirety will make this decision within 2-4 weeks.
What Would the NBA Season Look Like?
So, if play was to resume, what would it look like?
- Coronavirus testing would be standardized for all 30 teams and anyone working on the campus where play resumes
- There would be two host cities where all play occurs- likely Orlando’s Walt Disney World and Las Vegas
- It’s still unknown if all 30 teams would resume or it would skip right to playoffs
- There could potentially be a potential play-in tournament to give fringe teams a chance to make it in.
