The NBA was hoping to make a decision today about modifications to the collective bargaining agreement and the plan for the 2020-21 season. The league had proposed a 70-72 game season starting almost immediately on Dec. 22, with camp starting a month before that, but players had reportedly pushed back on that idea and preferred a start in mid-January.
On Friday, the league countered with what they see as an undesirable conflict with the Tokyo Olympics, scheduled to start on July 23, which involves significantly fewer games, which means significantly less money, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times. The Olympics, being a major worldwide sporting event that often draws the attention of casual fans, is clearly something the league does not want to compete with.
A 50-game season would reduce player salaries significantly in 2020-21, since NBA pay adheres to a regular-season schedule
The NBA's 72-game model calls for teams to play roughly 14 games a month through May, followed by the playoffs through mid-July — before the Olympics begin
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 30, 2020
Obviously, Olympic basketball is not as much of a concern here, because the best players will be playing in the NBA Finals that would potentially start just a few weeks before the Olympics. With the NBA also coming to terms with the fact that there won’t be fans, maximizing what they can from the game as a television product is likely their biggest priority.
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