The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association are in talks with The Walt Disney Company about resuming the 2019-2020 season in late July at one of its facilities.
Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, would be the central place for the NBA games instead of arenas across North America. coronavirus pandemic forced the league to suspend the season in mid-March.
“Our priority continues to be the health and safety of all involved, and we are working with public health experts and government officials on a comprehensive set of guidelines to ensure that appropriate medical protocols and protections are in place,” Bass said in a statement.
The news of a possible return of pro basketball comes as other leagues consider possible returns in June and July.
The playoff format will depend on two concepts. One of the plans could be the league heading straight into playoff mode with the top current sixteen teams with the rest of the teams not returning for this season.
The other option is a playoff round solution with teams battling for the 8th seed and then progressing to the regular playoffs. Another plan is to have the regular season just return where things left off before the covid-19 pandemic broke out. A group selection similar to the World Cup is also being discussed for a play in tournament.
