It appears that the National Basketball Association is ready to resuscitate a season that was on its deathbed a few months ago.
The prospect of finishing out the 2019-20 NBA season has gained momentum in the past week, according to NBA.com and ESPN’s “First Take.” The season was halted abruptly on March 11, 2020, when Utah Jazz forward Rudy Gobet was diagnosed with COVID-19.
On Friday, May 22, Stephen A. Smith hosted executives and players on “First Take” who discussed having the Eastern and Western Conferences at locations on each coast. Teams in the Eastern Conference would finish their season in Orlando, Florida, while Western Conference teams would be settled on the famous Sunset Strip in Las Vagas.
However, over the weekend, it was reported that Commissioner Adam Silver and the National Basketball Players Association has been in negotiations with a single entity, the Walt Disney Company, the league’s most important TV partner. If negotiations go the way the NBA plans, all teams will play at a single location in Orlando beginning July 28. That is because of the sheer size and infrastructure offered by Walt Disney’s properties, and it is also home to the ESPN World of Sports complex.
“The NBA, in conjunction with the National Basketball Players Association, is engaged in exploratory conversations with The Walt Disney Company about restarting the 2019-20 NBA season in late July at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida as a single site for an NBA campus for games, practices and housing,” NBA Chief Communications Officer Mike Bass said in a news release.
“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.”
