NBA might start before Christmas
The NBA may be back before Christmas and fans could return to games at some point next season if one plan considered by the league’s board of governors becomes reality.
The board is targeting a Dec. 22 start to what would be a 2020- 21 season of 70 to 72 games, with the NBA Finals ending in June — as has been in the case for many years — according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The person, who spoke to The Associated Press Friday on condition of anonymity because no plan has been finalized, said the possibility of fans being at a given game would hinge on how that particular market is faring against the coronavirus at the time.
There are other options, such as waiting until later in the season to begin play with the hope that more arenas would be able to have fans, but starting in December instead of mid- January or later could generate roughly $ 500 million more in revenue, the person said.
Revenue projections for the league this past season were missed by about $1.5 billion, the person said. The losses were the result of a combination of factors: the shutdown caused by the pandemic, the cancellation of 171 regular- season games, completing the season in a bubble at Walt Disney World without fans, the nearly $ 200 million price tag for operating that bubble, and a yearlong rift with the Chinese government that led to NBA games not being shown on state television in that country.
No decisions have been finalized on next season, and talks with the National Basketball Players Association remain ongoing on many matters, including the financial parameters. Those talks would have to be concluded before any real decisions about next season are made.
The NBPA has not made any final decisions on how it wants to see the league proceed, either, but a schedule starting in December and ending in June would get the 2021-22 season — virus permitting — back to normal, with 82- game slates starting in October.
However, starting before Christmas in the upcoming season would mean the offseason for the teams that made the recently completed NBA Finals — the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Miami Heat in six games, with the series wrapping up Oct. 11 — would be almost absurdly short. A Dec. 22 start date would mean teams would likely start training camps around the end of November.
One upside is that the NBA and its broadcast partners would get to keep Christmas games on the schedule. The league has made the holiday a five- game slate in recent years, primarily because of how many viewers tune in.
Typically, a mid- June end to the NBA Finals is followed by about a 3 1/2- month break before training camps open. Ending the upcoming season as usual would also allow players to compete in next summer’s rescheduled Tokyo Olympics, which are set to begin in July.
The United States has already qualified, as have seven other nations. There are 24 teams left to compete for the final four spots in the men’s basketball field, with those qualifiers set to begin in June. If the NBA season goes into July or longer, it would seriously jeopardize plans to have many of the league’s players taking part in the Olympics.
Still, any December resumption of play would necessitate a serious time crunch to get rosters settled. The NBA draft is scheduled for Nov. 18, and it remains unclear when free agency — which typically follows the draft — would take place.
There were 171 games canceled this past season after the NBA suspended play March 11. The league sent 22 of its 30 teams to a bubble at Walt Disney World during the summer, with play resuming July 30 and the full 16- team playoffs going on as scheduled, though all without fans.