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(Reuters) - The
National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) said on Thursday
it has tentatively approved Dec. 22 as the start date for the
2020-21 season with a reduced 72-game schedule.
The 2019-20 season was only completed in October after a
four-month delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with teams
competing in a bio-secure bubble at Walt Disney World in
Orlando.
The start date announcement followed a formal vote of player
representatives, NPBA said.
"Additional details remain to be negotiated and the NBPA is
confident that the parties will reach agreement on these
remaining issues relevant to the upcoming season," the NBPA said
in a statement https://nbpa.com/news/nbpa-statement-on-the-2020-2021-nba-season-start-date-and-schedule
on Thursday.
The NBA has pushed back the draft from Oct. 16 to Nov. 18, with
training camps set to begin in early December.
ESPN had reported, citing unnamed sources, that finishing the
2020-21 season before next year's Tokyo Olympics in mid-July
would be worth between $500 million and $1 billion in short and
long-term revenues to the league and players.
The Los Angeles Lakers captured a record-tying 17th NBA
Championship on Oct. 12 with a 106-93 victory over the Miami
Heat that sealed the best-of-seven title series 4-2.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Himani
Sarkar/Peter Rutherford)
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