The remainder of the 2019-20 G League season is up for grabs after the CDC recommended no more gatherings of 50-plus persons for next eight weeks due to the growth of the coronavirus pandemic.
While league officials and owners are hammering out the details of resuming play in mid-June and looking into arena openings in August in order to salvage the season, the developmental league does not appear to be quite as lucky.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported teams expect the G League season to be canceled. However, Wojnarowski also reported players would be paid through the end of the schedule even in the event of a cancelation. A decision has yet to be made official:
Reporting with @malika_andrews: NBA teams operating G League franchises expect rest of the minor-league season will soon be cancelled, sources tell ESPN. Regular season runs thru end of March, playoffs into April. Players have been informed they'll be paid thru end of schedule.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 15, 2020
Beyond obvious calender issues, the fact G League teams travel on commericial airlines and generally are money-drains for NBA teams make it even harder to move forward for rest of the season. No imminent announcement and G-League teams have been told to stay in town for now. https://t.co/nd1DdGeoV5
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 16, 2020
This is a tough break for the NBA's “minor leagues,” especially players like LiAngelo Ball, who only just agreed to a G League deal with the Oklahoma City Blue.
But as Wojnarowski reported, the “calendar issues” make it rather impossible to envision the G League playing out the remainder of their season.
The pandemic has rocked the sporting world in 2020. Between the NBA, MLB, MLS and NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments (as well as all spring sports), the suspensions and cancellations are incredibly numerous. The NFL is operating under a normal schedule as their league year opens on Wednesday, but that could also change due to CDC recommendations.
Players from around the NBA have taken to Twitter and other forms of social media to encourage fans and common citizens to practice good sanitization while also exhibiting the idea of “social distancing.”
It will truly take a collective societal effort in order to stop the spread. But it might already be too late for G League players.
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