The NBA is currently in the middle of resuming the 2019-20 season inside of a bubble at Disney World in Orlando as the world is still dealing with the global coronavirus pandemic. This is the only way the league could resume operations safely and it could lead to next season as well.
As it stands, the 2020-21 season is set to begin on December 1. However, this is a very flexible date as the league is willing to do whatever it takes to allow fans back in arenas. That means delaying the beginning of the season if it is their only option.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the league is even willing to look at a January date if they can at least get some fans back in arenas as he wrote:
The NBA has told teams that the plan remains to start on Dec. 1, but pushing back that date would require a level of confidence that a delay would ultimately result in the reopening of arenas to the public.
If so, the NBA would be willing to hold back the start — perhaps even months. An opening night of Martin Luther King Jr. Day — Jan. 18 — is a consideration. February and March are realistic, too, if a combination of vaccines, therapeutics and rapid-response testing for COVID-19 could contribute to the possibility of public gatherings.
There’s hope for vaccines, but the league has prepared teams for the reality that mass distribution would be unlikely for a full year, sources said. For now, too, there’s a skepticism about the reliability of rapid-response testing. They’re hopeful that advances in the technology could facilitate ways to get fans into arenas — even if it means less than capacity. Teams are already modeling options that include a few thousand fans to buildings filled closer to capacity.
A lot of this would depend a lot on vaccines and how fast they can be distributed, but if there is any chance of getting the fans back in arenas in 2020-21, the league has to consider it as the top option. After all, the fans are what adds to the amazing atmosphere of the game. [lawrence-related id=36514,36508,36501]