NBA Season To Resume on 31 July in Orlando

The NBA was the first global sports league to suspend it’s season as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, almost three months after it was suspended on March 11, the NBA is set to return.

The NBA will return to action on July 31, according to multiple reports. The board of governors is expected to confirm the restart with a vote on Thursday.

Orlando is the league’s chosen location, and it will play out it’s season there with a 22 – team format. 

Team’s with a playoff chance will play out eight regular season games at Walt Disney World, with playoffs which will be shaped by the results of the final 8 games. 

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The format will include the top sixteen teams from the Eastern and Western Conferences. They will be joined by teams who are 6 games away from 8th place in either conference. They are: The Pelicans, the Trail Blazers, the Spurs, the Suns, the Kings and the Wizards.

How the last 8 games of the seasons play out will determine the play-in tournament for the postseason. If the 9th seed finishes within four games of the 8th seed, both teams will enter a playoff.

The league has identified October 12 as the latest date for the Finals to conclude. After that, free agency and the draft will open. 

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Expect disappointment and contention to arise from the 8 teams who have been left out of the season’s restart. And immediate concern is that when next season starts, those teams will not have played for a period of nine months. A possible regional league in the fall could fill the competition gaps for those teams.

The teams headed to Orlando will begin training at their own facilities in July, before moving to full training camps in Florida.