The NBA finished up the 2019-20 season in the biggest challenge anybody has ever faced. They were able to complete the season in the midst of a global pandemic as well as a huge civil rights movement and they still face those similar challenges for the upcoming season.
In a normal time, the league would just now be beginning the new season and everyone would be on the floor beginning their quest for a title. Instead, the players and the Board of Governors are still negotiating what to do with the 2020-21 season.
There was talk of the season starting on Martin Luther King Day, but the league would much rather start in December and have games on Christmas Day to try and make up for lost revenue. After initial pushback by some players on the December start after the season finished up on October 11, it now appears that the players have changed their stance.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski writes that the players are expected to approve of a 72-game season beginning on December 22 on Thursday night:
The NBPA is planning to take a formal vote of the team player representatives on late Thursday, and sources tell ESPN everything is progressing toward an agreement on a pre-Christmas start to the season. The NBPA is holding team conference calls this week, including several on Wednesday, that detailed discussions with the league on a salary escrow for players in the range of 18% for the next two years, sources told ESPN.
Sources say the teams representatives are expected to approve the agreement.
With the season beginning in December, it will allow the league to finish up before the Olympics in July. The pre-Christmas start also allows the league to come up with some of the revenue that was lost due to the pandemic and the fact that fans won’t be allowed in arenas initially.
Wojnarowski added:
The league believes that a Dec. 22 start that includes Christmas Day games on television and allows for a 72-game schedule that finishes before the Summer Olympics in mid-July is worth between $500 million and $1 billion in short- and long-term revenues to the league and players, sources said.
For the Philadelphia 76ers, this means that they will likely get a Christmas Day game to their popularity and the fact that fans want to watch Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons perform under new coach Doc Rivers. This will all be so interesting to see how it all works out going forward. [lawrence-related id=38840,38834,38828]