The NBA has notified all 30 teams that they intend to allow practice facilities in states where shelter-in-place regulations have been eased to reopen on Friday, per Marc Stein of The New York Times.
The NBA, I'm told, just notified its teams that it intends to allow practice facilities in states where shelter-in-place regulations have been eased to re-open Friday as planned … "pending new developments"
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 6, 2020
The NBA was forced to suspend the 2019-20 season on March 11th after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. The league then shut down practice facilities on March 20th, while also prohibiting players from using public health clubs, fitness centers, gyms, and college facilities.
The Golden State Warriors were the first organization to shut their facilities down. The rest of the league quickly followed suit.
NBA owners are still hopeful of resuming the season in the summer and finishing in September. Then, the 2020-21 season would start on Christmas if everything plays out properly, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. The 2011-12 lockout season started on Christmas.
Fanless games will likely be the route the NBA takes at first when games are able to be played again. The Warriors were going to host the Brooklyn Nets at the Chase Center without fans, but the season was suspended a day before. The top two locations for a return to play have been Disney World in Orlando and Las Vegas.
NBA owners and team presidents estimate that canceling the rest of the season would result in $1-to-2 billion in losses, per Charania. The NBA and its players agreed to reduce paychecks by 25 percent starting May 15, essentially serving as a reserve for if and when play resumes and players can receive that amount back.
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