The NBA’s board of governors approved a return-to-play plan on Thursday, paving the way for the league to resume in Florida following a thr...
The NBA’s board of governors approved a return-to-play plan on Thursday, paving the way for the league to resume in Florida following a three-month coronavirus shutdown.
The NBA said a proposal put to the league’s board that will see 22 teams based at a single location had passed comfortably.
“We are in the equivalent of the first inning. We’ve got a long ways to go here,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told American cable station TNT on Thursday night. “We have always been looking for a safe way to resume, knowing we are going to be living with this virus for a while.”
Twenty-nine teams voted in favor of the return-to-play plan, with Portland the lone vote against, according to reports.
Under the NBA’s proposals, the league would resume on July 31 with 22 teams based at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando to minimize the threat of Covid-19. Games will be played without spectators.
Playoffs would take place in August, with the NBA Finals set to be completed by October 12. The league has also penciled in a provisional December 1 start date for the 2020-’21 season.
“The Board’s approval of the restart format is a necessary step toward resuming the NBA season,” Silver said.
“While the Covid-19...
