According to The Athletic, the NBA would consider finishing the 2019-2020 fiscal year at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando rather than Las Vegas. The season has been suspended since March 11 due to the coronavirus outbreak.
For several weeks, the NBA has been exploring the possibility of closing the 2019-2020 fiscal year behind closed doors, bringing all teams together in one confined area. “It would be safer to be in the same place, or in two places, to begin with. There’s no point in increasing the risk of taking you from city to city if there are no fans,” league boss Adam Silver told players earlier this month.
Las Vegas ahead
According to Sam Amick and Shams Charania, journalists for the very serious The Athletic, the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando is now the favorite venue to host the end of the NBA season, if it can be played in the coming weeks.
Disney World would have taken a “serious” lead over other places like Las Vegas. The NBA, whose season has been suspended since March 11 and the positive test of Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz), would consider resuming games by mid-July.
The NBA has Orlando/Disney World as a clear frontrunner for return-to-play site for resuming 2019-20 season, sources tell me and @sam_amick. Orlando has gained significant seriousness among other cities such as Las Vegas.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 20, 2020
The format that will be used in the event of a takeover has not yet been decided. It is possible that the 30 franchises will compete to complete the regular season or that the play-offs will be extended to other teams beyond the usual 16 places. The start of next season could be postponed until December.
