NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the league is likely to delay its previously scheduled start Dec. 1 for the 2020-21 season in hopes of getting paying fans back in arenas.
Although the NBA’s bubble environment in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Has been a success, Silver said the league is not focused on re-establishing another quarantine campus for next season.
“I would say December 1, now that we’re working this season, feels a little early,” Silver Rachel Nichols of ESPN told the NBA Draft Lottery on Thursday night.
“I think our No. 1 goal is to get fans back in our arenas. … So my point is, in partnership with the Players Association, if we can push back a little bit longer and increase the chances of fans in having arenas is what we should focus on. “
Earlier Thursday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the players’ union had prepared for the launch of free agency to delay from its scheduled start on October 18. The NBA draft remains scheduled for October 16th.
The NBA is collaborating with research institutes and pharmaceutical companies to test and monitor developments in the fight against COVID-19. Silver has said that roughly 40% of the league once projected $ 8 billion in revenue is tied to having fans in arenas.
In addition to hoping for faxes, the league and several of its owners have partnered with companies on rapid response tests that will enable the crowd to economically and safely in the coming months.
“We keep a close eye on the development of antivirals,” Silver said. “There have been really positive reports about faxes lately.”
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