If the NBA season resumes and the Major League Baseball season begins, it may not be until the summer.
ESPN NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski wrote Sunday that NBA owners are increasingly of the belief that resuming the season in mid-to-late June is a best-case scenario and the league is checking on arena availability through the month of August. The NBA suspended its season on Wednesday after Utah Jazz C Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus COVID-19.
The NBA’s suspension is technically set to run for 30 days, but league commissioner Adam Silver has indicated publicly that the league is prepared for a longer layoff. Per ESPN, the league is planning to return without fans and could even stage games in practice facilities.
Major League Baseball executives similarly would view any return before June as “welcome,” according to MLB Network reporter Jon Heyman. Opening Day was originally scheduled for March 26 but has been pushed back at least two weeks.
The reports came soon after the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommended that there be no gatherings of 50 or more people anywhere in the United States over the next eight weeks. While there are exceptions to that recommendation, which itself is not binding, it would seem to make any sporting events before mid-May unlikely.
[News from Wojnarowski/Twitter 3.15, ESPN.com 3.15, Heyman/Twitter 3.15, CDC 3.15]
