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The Olympics were postponed by a year, to July
23-Aug. 8 next year, because of the novel coronavirus, which
also led to the NBA season being suspended, leading to a delay
in the start of the new season and the conflict in schedules.
The NBA season usually runs from October to June but with the
2019-20 Finals series now finishing this month, the new season
is expected to begin in January with plans for the usual 82-game
campaign and playoffs to follow.
"We'll consider it. I think it's unlikely at the end of the day
that, if we start late, we would stop for the Olympics," Silver
told NBA TV.
"It's not just a function of stopping for the period in which
they are competing over in Tokyo, they require a training camp
and then they require rest afterwards."
Since professional players were allowed to compete at the
Olympics, beginning with the 1992 Games in Barcelona, the United
States has won six out of seven gold medals with star-studded
squads made up primarily of NBA players.
With more than 100 international players in the NBA, Silver
added that he also had concerns for other countries - some of
which have yet to qualify for the Olympics and will be competing
in qualifiers next year.
"There are so many incredible players, beginning with the USA
team, we'll be able to field a very competitive team," Silver
said.
"I'm a bit worried about some of the international teams,
because some of their stars play in our league and their absence
would make a huge difference for those national teams.
"I'd only say these are such extraordinary circumstances that,
even if we set out to plan for the Olympics, how can they even
know what the world is going to be like next summer and whether
they can go forward?"
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru)
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