In a conversation with television channel CNN, Silvers revealed that the NBA hopes to play 82 games next season, with the teams strengthening in front of their spectators.
However, the league commissioner pointed out that in order to implement this idea, the season must start a month later than previously speculated, namely, in January.
“We said the new season wouldn’t start until Christmas, but we’re listening more and more to what Dr. Anthony Fauci is saying, so I tend to think that the players will only go on the pitch next year,” said Silvers. “Our goal is to spend a full next season.”
In mid-March, the NBA was the first major North American professional sports league to announce an indefinite suspension of the season due to a pandemic caused by Covid-19.
The fans continued the season on July 30, when 22 units Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex Orlando initially hosted eight regular championship games, which revealed the final distribution and play-offs.
Given that the new season could start only in January, its decisive matches are likely to take place around the end of July, which means an overlap with the Tokyo Olympics. The four-year event in Japan will begin on July 23 next year.
Silvers made no secret of the fact that such a scenario would mean that the US national team would start in Tokyo without the top 15 NBA players, but he pointed out that there was no shortage of talented basketball players in the country who would be able to compete for award-winning places.
The NBA is still in the conference finals. West Los Angeles Lakers against Denver Nuggets is in the lead with 2-1, but Miami Heat The East with the same result is in the lead against Boston Celtics.
In the United States, more than 200,000 people have died from Covid-19 to date, and another 6.8 million have been infected with the virus.
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