The NBA’s Board of Governors reportedly had plans to meet on Friday to discuss a potential start date for the 2020-21 season. According to a new report by Shams Charania of The Athletic, the league has an idea for when it wants to start the campaign, and it is slightly earlier than previous reporting suggested.
While the plan was to keep a Christmas Day start date on the table, Charania brings word that the NBA wants to start on Dec. 22. This, in addition to a 72-game schedule, would give the league the opportunity to play a season but avoid running into any issues with the Olympics, which are slated to happen next Summer in Tokyo.
The NBA is targeting Dec. 22 for the start of the 2020-21 season and a 72-game campaign that finishes before the ‘21 Olympics, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 23, 2020
This would have some pretty obvious logistical challenges. The season just ended on Oct. 11, they wouldn’t have the normal run in to the regular season, and there are some things that need to be sorted out about the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Of course, lest we forget, there’s also a global pandemic happening, and there’s no word on how things like a vaccine or any potential therapeutics would become available so that players, coaches, staffers, and once they are allowed to enter games, fans are able to play safely. The question of fans is especially interesting, because a goal of the upcoming season has reportedly been to play in home markets with fans in attendance, and it is difficult to see a path for that to happen in the next two months.
There is no word on whether or not this report by Charania comes on the heels of the Board of Governors meeting or if this is something that it plans to propose.
