NBA officially confirms talks to restart 2019-20 season in Orlando

The NBA said Saturday that it is “engaged in exploratory conversations with Disney about restarting the 2019-20 season in late July.”

The NBA is engaged in official talks to restart the idled 2019-20 season at a single site this July, the league office confirmed Saturday.

The season has been suspended since March 12 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. According to the league’s statement, games would be held at Disney’s sports complex in Orlando, Florida.

From NBA spokesman Mike Bass, the statement reads:

The NBA, in conjunction with the National Basketball Players Association, is engaged in exploratory conversations with The Walt Disney Company about restarting the 2019-20 NBA season in late July at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida as a single site for an NBA campus for games, practices, and housing.

Our priority continues to be the health and safety of all involved, and we are working with public health experts and government officials on a comprehensive set of guidelines to ensure that appropriate medical protocols and protections are in place.

Though many recent news stories have indicated positive momentum for the season’s restart in the summer, this is the first on-the-record statement from the league confirming its intentions to resume play.

While other cities including Houston and Las Vegas had also been mentioned as host site possibilities, the NBA’s statement signals that Orlando alone is likely to be the choice. From the league’s perspective, having one site for all teams reduces potential exposure risks to the virus from travel and could allow the NBA to concentrate on one location for the implementation of its extensive safety protocols.

The 220-acre Disney complex has three arenas and ample hotel accomodations for teams, according to ESPN’s report.

It remains unclear whether the league plans to recall all 30 of its teams for regular-season games, advance straight to the NBA playoffs, or do something in between. The Houston Rockets are currently 40-24 and tied for the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference playoff race, but additional regular-season games could bring opportunities for them to move up or down in the tightly packed West standings.

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