This year, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the National Basketball Association missed revenue forecast by $ 1.5 billion, the Associated Press reported.
The losses were due to the temporary closure of the season – in which 171 regular season games were called off – and the decision to host games in a bubble at Disney World without fans. According to the AP, operating in the bubble cost the league $ 200 million.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in May that 40% of the league’s revenue came from game night at team arenas across the states.
According to an anonymous source, the league’s board of governors aims to start the 2020-21 season on December 22. The shortened season would consist of 70 to 72 games and end in June, when the NBA Finals come to a close.
The schedule would allow the 2021-2022 NBA season to begin in October and proceed as usual.
After delays due to COVID-19 this season, the final ended on October 11 when the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Miami Heat.
If the next season starts in December, training camps would force players to start conditioning next month. The Heat and Lakers would be around seven weeks off between the end of the final and the start of training – a stark difference from the normal three-and-a-half-month break.
Officials are still in talks on whether fans can return to matches in person next year.
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