The NBA has been in a suspension of play since March 11 due to the novel coronavirus, but there have been little inklings of hope over the past few weeks that there could be a possible return to play. The league has been looking at Orlando and Las Vegas for their “bubble” idea and commissioner Adam Silver has laid out the groundwork for an NBA return.
There was a little more hope on Tuesday as Silver held a Board of Governors call to discuss a return to play sooner rather than later. There was a positive feeling about momentum toward a return to play, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
ESPN Sources: Attendees left Board of Governors call w/ Adam Silver today feeling positive about momentum toward an NBA return to play this season. Discussion included how league/players will need to get comfortable w/ some positive tests for virus not shutting down a resumption
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 13, 2020
It is not just the governors who would like to return to play, it is also the players. According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports:
Chris Paul, the president of the players association, arranged the call that included LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook, sources said.
The group’s decision is expected to hold significant weight in the decision-making process for the rest of the league’s players when it’s time to deliberate on whether to restart the season.
Of course, this does not mean basketball will return any time soon, but again, it does give some hope. This will all depend on testing for the virus and everything being deemed safe for everybody involved. However, the fact that both the governors and the players would like to get back to playing is a big factor in all of this. Everybody needs to buy-in for this to happen. [lawrence-related id=30914,30906,30898]