For basketball fans, there’s nothing like the tradition of waking up on Christmas Day and knowing you have a full slate of NBA games waiting to distract you from your family.
But as we know, this year is going to be different due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
And though it’s not completely ruled out yet, NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Wednesday shared we likely won’t have holiday games this year.
Silver preciously has said that Christmas Day was a target start day for the league’s new season, as the original goal of Dec. 1 seemed less likely by the hour.
In a media availability Wednesday, the commissioner said even Dec. 25 might be a little early.
“I’ve said previously that the earliest we would start at this point is Christmas. That’s been a traditional 10-pole day for the league, but it may come and go,” Silver said. “I’ve also said, probably, the greater likelihood is we will start in January. But remember, if we start in January, it means training camps have begun roughly three weeks earlier.
“We said Christmas the earliest, more likely, January.”
The concern with starting so soon is that players, coming off the longest season in NBA history, need a break physically and mentally.
With some teams finishing their seasons in late September and early October, training camp would be a quick turnaround for an early December start.
Especially for those who have been trapped in the NBA bubble with no escape from basketball all this time.
It looks like if that’s the case, we’ll just have to enjoy our families this Christmas. The players certainly will be.
