One possible option for the NBA next season is a March start, according to a report.
Morning Consult reported Friday that the NBA Global Innovation Group — an in-house consulting team — has outlined four possible scenarios for the 2020-21 season, including a March-to-October schedule in which fans would be able to attend games in home arenas.
The March scenario would include the league’s annual All-Star Game, which is scheduled next year for Indianapolis, and a potential midseason break for the Olympics.
The league’s other scenarios would have the season start in December and end in July, with fans attending only in those markets where public gatherings are allowed. Options include a normal 82-game season, a regionally-focused schedule a la Major League Baseball, and a shortened ‘bubble’ season in which teams would rotate 20-at-a-time at a neutral site.
There are still several steps before any of these scenarios become a realistic possibility. Per Morning Consult, the Global Innovation Group will over the next two weeks determine which of scenarios to study further and eventually share with the league’s board of governors, players and media rights partners.
Previous reporting in The Ringer indicated that the NBA was looking at a potential January start to next season. The league has publicly identified December 1 as a target start date.
The current NBA season, which was halted this past March, is scheduled to resume at the end of this month.
[News from Morning Consult 7.10]
