NBA commissioner Adam Silver told Rachel Nichols on ESPN's The Jump Wednesday that the league is considering the possibility of holding an exhibition game for their fans and possibly charity as they wait for the 2019-20 season to resume.
"One of the things we've been talking about... are there conditions in which a group of players could compete," Silver said. "Maybe it's for a giant fundraiser or for the collective good of the people. You take a subset of players and is there a protocol where they can be tested, quarantined, or isolated in some way to compete against each other. Because again, people are stuck at home, and I think they need a diversion, and they need to be entertained."
As for the suspended 2019-20 campaign, Silver said he's still hopeful that the season can be salvaged in some form, but admits that he's optimistic by nature. Before setting a definitive date, the league would also need to determine if they should proceed as they normally operate or restart without fans.
Given the possibility of a return by mid-to-late June at the earliest, Silver appears open to an earlier suggestion of permanently moving the start of the NBA season to December, saying, "Those are things we're always talking about."
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