It’s clear the NBA won’t be returning any time soon, but it appears the league now has a better idea of when it could resume play.
At this point, NBA owners and executives believe resuming play in mid-to-late June currently is the best-case scenario, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The league reportedly is “scouting” possible arena dates through the end of August.
CDC recommendation of no events of 50-plus people for next two months comes as a number of NBA owners and executives increasingly believe a best case scenario is a mid-to-late June return to play — with no fans. League's scouting for possible arena dates all the way thru August.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 15, 2020
There were four weeks left in the 2019-20 regular season before it came to a screeching halt Wednesday after Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. The league has been in lockdown ever since.
The NBA won’t be the only ones taking an extended break, however.
The National Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Sunday released new recommendations regarding the COVID-19 crisis, requesting no events of 50-plus people be held in the next eight weeks. That means gatherings of that size are frowned upon until at least May 10.
Luckily for NBA fans, however, it appears the league plans on finishing the season.