NBA Returns in July

The month of June is normally scheduled for the NBA Finals, where two final teams meet after a long, hard-fought season to decide on the champion of the league. This June, however, there is no championship – the regular season being suspended back in March due to COVID-19 concerns.

After months of planning and debate, however, the NBA has announced they’ll be continuing the season and diving almost immediately into the playoffs on July 31. Out of the 30 teams in the league, the top 22 from this suspended season will be invited to live and play in Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla. The teams will play 8 seeding games to fill a 16-team playoff bracket, and then playoffs will begin.

Coaches, players and essential staff will be required to quarantine among themselves for the entire duration of the seeding and playoff games. Regular COVID-19 tests will be administered in Orlando living quarters, although specifics haven’t been announced as to what the league will do if (or when) positive cases are discovered. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he’s confident they will have the necessary precautions to ensure teams can continue competing.

The NBA is another global league attempting to reopen amid ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks. The Bundesliga in Germany has resumed league play, using regular testing precautions and virtual crowd noises as they continue to play in empty stadiums. However, other leagues, such as the NHL in the U.S., have canceled the remainder of their seasons and will wait until next year. Baseball and football in the U.S. still have looming questions as to how or if they’ll continue.