The NBA has officially begun talks to resume play of the 2019-20 NBA season at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Walt Disney World of Orlando, Florida, reports ESPN senior writer Ramona Shelburne.
The exploratory conversation is focused on doing so in July of 2020, roughly four months from the March 11th suspension of league activities triggered by Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert’s positive COVID-19 test results.
Many details remain to be worked out, ranging from whether there will be a regular season or a direct-to-playoffs format to countless logistical hurdles and safety protocols in need of solution, but momentum seems to be swinging firmly in the direction of a restart to the season.
NBA in talks to resume play at Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex https://t.co/GhijC9EFsF
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) May 23, 2020
NBA spokesperson Mike Bass released a statement Saturday on the news, noting that the league has been working with the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) to resume play “in late July.”
Interestingly, reports the league might be considering multiple sites to resume play seem to have fallen by the wayside in this scenario, with Bass framing the venture 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,” added Bass.
Woj and Lowe: NBA teams expecting return guidelines by June 1 https://t.co/0APufCnrYA via @thecelticswire
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) May 21, 2020
The league has continuously centered safety as an ongoing, critical concern for any resumption of play from the outset of any such idea, but considerable challenges remain in that regard that, at least on the outside of the organization, have yet to be addressed comprehensively.
Much of that may simply be due to the fact that the late July target is simply still too far into the future to do so, but details have already begun to emerge about plans soon to be released by the NBA on how such a resumption would be organized.
A June 1 date for the release of such a plan has been widely reported.
Shelburne reports notable optimism from several team owners and senior employees that the restart will go forward, with periods of quarantine, individual and team workouts to be conducted in advance of any official play.
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