The next NBA season might start early in 2021 because of the ongoing problems with the handling of COVID-19 in the United States.
The NBA is only a couple of weeks away from crowning this season’s NBA champions. After four months of interrupted play, the NBA was able to bring back its players on the court. The NBA restart was still an unimaginable idea back in March, but the league was able to pull it off with just minor hiccups along the way.
Unfortunately, replicating it for the next season will be a tall order. Not only will the league have to manage business interests, but it will also have more teams to consider. As such, placing the league in the bubble might not be the best option.
Previously, the NBA thought that it would be able to start the 2020-2021 season as early as Christmas Day. However, based on recent events, it may not happen.
The next NBA season could start in January 2021
In an interview, Adam Silver seems not optimistic that the next season can start by December. He said,
“My best guess is that the season won’t start until 2021. We said a week or so ago that the earliest we would start is Christmas. But the more I’m learning, I continue to believe that we’re gonna be better off getting into January.”
Pushing the issue to start this year could be a tricky situation for the league and the team owners. There is still no vaccine or medicine for an immediate cure or prevention of COVID-19. Therefore, placing fans and players together in an enclosed space may not be the best idea.
NBA teams are innovating
NBA team owners want their losses this season to be recuperated as soon as possible. As a result, they are taking matters in their own hands in terms of bringing fans inside the arenas.
NBA arena tickets account for a huge chunk of the revenue streams of the teams. Losing it again next season jeopardizes the accounting books of the league. Fortunately, there are teams like the Golden State Warriors that are proactive.
They are exploring opportunities to test fans that will purchase tickets to see the Warriors play in their new arena. Warriors owner Joe Lacob said,
“I’ve worked with the league extensively on the testing strategies with respect to what’s going on in the bubble. And we’re actually doing the same thing in terms of trying to lead the way (for) how we’re going to maybe test fans as an example — if need be — when we resume play.”
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