With the NBA and its players’ union engaged in discussions on whether the remainder of the 2019-20 season can be salvaged, the situation took a turn for the worse this past week as the Chinese Basketball Association extended its own suspension indefinitely.
As the coronavirus outbreak is believed to have begun in Wuhan, China, the NBA and other professional sports leagues around the world have kept an eye on the Chinese Basketball Association and the circumstances under which the league was set to resume play in April as a model. That they are unable to do so as planned has left many in the sports communities pessimistic about the prospect of resuming play anytime soon.
The aforementioned facts were reported by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on March 31, with Windhorst appearing on SportsCenter on April 3 and delivering a sobering perspective in the aftermath of the actions taken by the CBA.
I think there was optimism about progress a week ago and some things that have happened this week have turned it south about what could happen. A big factor was what happened in China where they halted their return of their league… They have just slammed the breaks on sports and the talks between the players’ union and the league this week —I’ve talked to both sides of this issue — and it is clear that the NBA is angling to set up a deal that enables them to shut the season down.
Despite the seemingly bad news, however, it should be pointed out that Windhorst does mention that no decision has been made yet. It is also possible that the league’s conversations this past week focused on the worst-case scenario of canceling the remainder of the season because the union and the league already have an idea of how an eventual return to play would happen.
They don’t have to [cancel the season] yet, and the way they’re negotiating, they’re leaving themselves an option either way, but they’re not having talks about how to restart the league, they’re having financial talks about what would happen if the season shuts down and I think there’s a significant amount of pessimism right now.
.@WindhorstESPN says there’s “a significant amount of pessimism” in the NBA and the NBPA’s talks about whether they’re going to cancel the season. pic.twitter.com/SAGMJlFRDO
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 4, 2020
Shortly after Windhorst’s words made their way around the internet, 13-year NBA veteran Jared Dudley provided some hope for fans desperate for the league to return this season. Dudley, who has been heavily involved with the union as both a player and team representative, said that no decision would be made before June 1.
Decision will not be made before June 1st.. Too much money at stake https://t.co/Lud1JHrF5B
— Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) April 4, 2020
Interestingly enough, even as COVID-19 has made its way around the world and impacts daily life for billions, all eyes remain on China. Even in the world of professional basketball.