The NBA has been suspended indefinitely since March 12 after Rudy Gobert became the first player to test positive for coronavirus.
Since then, a number of NBA players have contracted the virus, including Kevin Durant, Donovan Mitchell, Marcus Smart and Christian Wood.
It’s why the NBA hasn’t returned to finish the season, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread across the country.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst outlined why the NBA is pessimistic with restarting the season and how it impacts the 2020-2021 season.
“I’ve talked to both sides of this issue and it is clear the NBA is angling to set up a deal that enables them to shut the season down. Now, they don’t have to do that yet, and the way they’re negotiating, they’re leaving themselves an option either way…they are not having talks about how to restart the league. They are having financial talks about what would happen if the season shuts down and I think there is a significant amount of pessimism right now.”
Looking ahead to next season, Windhorst believes it’s a matter of evaluating whether you will be damaging two seasons instead of one. It also comes down to having testing available for players to ensure they’re symptom-free and healthy.
The NBA may be taking similar precautions as China. The Chinese government delayed the restart of the Chinese Basketball Association and other group events, as ESPN reported. The General Administration of Sport, the body that issued the order, gave no timetable on when it plans to lift the restriction.
On a Saturday conference call with Trump, Silver reportedly said the NBA would wait for an "all clear" from health officials before the league returns to action.
