It’s official: the 2020-21 season will start on December 22, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The National Basketball Players Association Board of Representatives voted on Thursday night to approve a plan for a December 22 start to the season that includes a reduced 72-game schedule, clearing the way for league and union to finalize details on the 2020-2021 season, sources tell ESPN.
The NBPA’s Board of Players Representatives voted to approve the pre-Christmas start in a conference call with NBPA executive director Michele Roberts, sources said. The NBA and NBPA are planning to discuss the opening of free agency as quickly as possible after the November 18 NBA draft to accommodate player movement with such a short window to the opening of training camps on Dec. 1, sources said.
ESPN story on NBPA vote to accept a December 22 start and reduced 72-game schedule for 2020-2021 NBA season: https://t.co/6trdpRe5la
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 6, 2020
With just a two month layoff between the two teams, many are concerned with the length of the offseason, citing that it’s not enough time for players to rest and teams to prepare for the start of a new season.
In fact, there was a report that many players were pushing back on a December start date.
Now, however, it seems things are finally set in stone. Basketball will return soon, starting with the draft in a few weeks, free agency, and then opening tip-off near Christmas.
