NBA news: League announces key dates for 2021-22 season

The NBA announced start dates for the 2020-21 regular season, playoffs and more.

As the 2020-21 NBA playoffs continue, the league is finalizing preparations for the 2021-22 season with key start times announced.

On Sept. 28, teams will begin training camp to get acclimated before the regular season tips off about a month later.

As NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in May, the regular season will start on Oct. 19.

The NBA is returning to its normal 82-game season next year after having a condensed 72-game season this year.

The playoffs will start on April 16 with the first game of the NBA finals slated for June 2. If the series goes to seven games, Game 7 will occur on June 19.

On June 23, four days after a potential Game 7, the 2022 NBA draft will take place.

For the Los Angeles Lakers, this news is a breath of fresh air since it was one of two teams to have only 71 days of rest time last offseason.

With Los Angeles’ early elimination from the playoffs, the new start date gives the team 138 days to rest as injuries piled up throughout the season.

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