One of the biggest potential obstacles in the NBA’s way when they were planning how to conduct the current season is no longer going to be in the league’s way as they are trying to finish a 72-game season amid the coronavirus pandemic. But it’s also a blow to many athletes globally who have been training for this moment their whole lives.
The Tokyo Olympics, which were moved from 2020 to 2021, are unlikely to happen as the Japanese government has internally lost faith that they will be able to hold the game due to the coronavirus, according to The Times of London. The NBA had been hoping to finish their season before the Olympics, which several players, including LeBron James, said they would be open to participating in.
With the Olympics looking like it’s not going to happen, that could potentially give the NBA more latitude to make the season longer and get an entire regular season in while still maintaining the health and safety protocols.
While this is of course a blow to athletes across the nation who were hoping to compete in the Olympics, including several NBA players, it opens up more possibilities for the NBA schedule and also presumably gives players who would have to play in the Olympics more time to recover after the season.
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