According to reports, the NBA is planning a start to the 2020-21 season on December 22, three days before Christmas Day, traditionally rich in gala meetings, and a regular season reduced to 72 games, compared to 82 usually.
This start of the season in December would ensure more revenue than a launch in January, and allow NBA players to participate with their selections at the Tokyo Games, postponed to the summer of 2021 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The United States will aim for a fourth consecutive Olympic title in Japan.
The availability of NBA players for the Tokyo Olympics has already been the subject of questions, in particular on the part of USA Basketball, the American federation.
The 2019/2020 NBA season ended in a “bubble” at Disneyland, Orlando (Florida). No player has tested positive during the more than two months spent on site by 22 of the 30 franchises.
This time around, matches played in franchise halls rather than in a bubble would be favored, and the NBA is considering having the same teams compete several times in a row to reduce journeys.
In addition to the question of the format of the 2020/2021 season, the NBA and the NBPA are also in discussions on the consequences of a potential financial crisis and on the establishment of a new salary cap.
According to ESPN, October 30 has been set as the deadline for these talks to come to fruition, eight weeks before Christmas.
The NBA commissioner Adam Silver has said at least eight weeks will pass between a deal and the start of the next season.
“I’ve said previously that the earliest we would start at this point is Christmas. That’s been a traditional tent-pole date for the league, but it may come and go.” Silver said.
