The COVID-19 pandemic put the entire sports world in uncharted territory. All around the globe, leagues, clubs, and organizations shut down play to comply with stay-at-home orders, leaving many within the community questioning what was next.
For the NBA in particular, the positive diagnosis of several players with coronavirus only heightened fears that we may never get to see the end of the 2019-20 season. And even if it is allowed to continue, how will it affect the next few seasons to come?
According to new information posted by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the 20-21 campaign may be pushed all the way back to December.
The 2020-21 NBA season could potentially start in December and extend through late July or August, per @wojespn pic.twitter.com/JUkFfpgIIz
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 1, 2020
This timeline makes a lot of sense. In America, the NFL diverts a lot of attention from basketball and their overlap from October to December can often negatively impact the NBA.
If the season were to extend from December to August, the league would face a lot less competition during the regular season and playoffs.
Still, it’s not like they really have a choice. If they want to salvage what they can from this current campaign, a push-back on next season will be necessary to ensure the teams and players are given enough time to prepare.
The hope is that, within a few weeks, NBA action will be close to its return, and we can finally play out the remained of what has been a stellar campaign so far.
