The NBA informed its board of governors Thursday that the 2020-21 season will not begin before Dec. 25, sources told Shams Charania of The Athletic.
A start date for next season remains undecided, Charania adds.
NBA’s league office informed Board of Governors today that the 2020-21 season won’t begin earlier than Christmas Day, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Nov. 18 Draft date, 20-21 start date remain fluid.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 10, 2020
The league had been tentatively eyeing a Dec. 1 start to the 2020-21 campaign, but commissioner Adam Silver admitted in August that date seemed a “little bit early.”
With the start date now inching closer to the new calendar year, it’s unclear if the league intends to stage a full 82-game season in 2020-21. Silver revealed last month that the NBA’s top priority for next season is to be able to host fans in arenas again and said he would be willing to delay the campaign until that becomes possible.
“My sense is in working with the players’ association – if we could push back even a little longer and increase the likelihood of having fans in arenas, that’s what we would be targeting,” he said.
The NBA is still targeting Nov. 18 for the 2020 draft, according to Charania, though he notes that date is not concrete. The league had previously been looking to stage the event on Oct. 15.
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