The Spurs announced plans to begin hosting spectators on January 1, but announced on December 28 that this will be delayed indefinitely due to rising COVID-19 cases in the team's market. [77], This is the fifth year of the current nine-year contracts with ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV. Capped at 10% capacity (roughly 2,000 fans). Each team would play three games against each opponent from its own conference and two games against each interconference opponent. [32][40][41], On November 17, the NBA announced that the 72-game regular season would run from December 22 through May 16. The 2021 NBA Finals will begin no later than July 8, with a potential Game 7 no later than July 22.[1]. On January 9, 2021, Amalie Arena operator Vanik Sports Group announced that both the Raptors and the NHL's. On November 9, it was announced that free agency would begin on November 20 at 6 p.m. The Los Angeles Lakers subjugated the 2019-20 NBA title on October 11, 2020 after the season got postponed due to COVID-19 Pandemic. But, to start the 2020-21 NBA season, Collin Sexton accomplished something that even LeBron never did in a Cavs uniform. Utah vs. Washington - Washington did not have the required minimum of eight players available for the game. Memphis vs. Minnesota - Minnesota did not have the required minimum of eight players. Manage Preferences, Gameday Rundown: HEAT Close Out Homestand Against Wizards. First five home games played for family and friends only, planning to open to the public at 10% capacity on January 18, 2021. The schedule will be released in two parts. They will send a neutral "world feed" and other camera feeds to the network, which will then add commentary and surrounding coverage. ET on ESPN, - Friday, Nov. 20 – Free agent negotiations begin at 6 p.m. The Boston Celtics began their 2019-20 season exactly one year ago Friday. ESPN stated that some (roughly half) of their games, particularly marquee games exclusive to ESPN and ABC, would be produced on-site with an existing hybrid model (where some producers and graphics operators work from ESPN's studios in Bristol, Connecticut). "The Board of Player Representatives of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) has tentatively approved a start date of December 22, 2020 for the 2020-2021 NBA season and a … The season was indefinitely postponed following the previous season's cessation amid the COVID-19 pandemic.The plan is to use the same type of isolation season as the 2020 … The 9th place team will play the 10th place team with the loser of that game being eliminated. The 22 teams returning to play will tentatively start on Friday, July 31. NBA.com's Carlan Gay and Scott Rafferty talk the opening of training camp, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving's impact on the East and more. The NBA initially set a target date of December 1, 2020, to start the regular season. Share this article 6 shares share tweet text email link Justin Quinn. [34] However, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver suggested further delaying the season until at least January because local health orders at each NBA city would limit fan attendance. The 2020-21 season will begin on Tuesday, December 22; The 2020-21 season will feature each team playing a 72-game schedule. NBA Board of Governors approves Dec. 22 start for 2020-21 season ESPN and TNT are also deploying additional cameras specific to their broadcasts, and ESPN may provide a supplemental on-site presence if the local broadcaster does not have enough capacity to support the host model. To answer this, NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke to the media and said, “The 2020-21 NBA season would start around Christmas at its earliest but is much more likely to commence in January of 2021.” Silver also had a sit-down interview with Rachel Nichols to discuss the same and said, “Without a Bubble, the risk of spreading the virus will increase.” The following coaches were named the Eastern and Western Conference Coaches of the Month. The NBA Board of Governors has unanimously approved adjustments to certain provisions of the current collective bargaining agreement impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  The 2020-21 NBA season will begin Tuesday, Dec. 22. ET, - Sunday, Nov. 22 – Players can sign contracts with teams beginning at 12:01 p.m. 11– May 16: Second Half of regular season; Mar. The following players were named the Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA players vote to approve Dec. 22 start date for 2020-21 season Continue Reading Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} … Confirmed key dates for the upcoming season are as follows: - Wednesday, Nov. 18 – NBA Draft 2020 presented by State Farm at 7 p.m. Memphis vs. Sacramento - Memphis did not have enough available players due to ongoing contact tracing. ET, - Tuesday, Dec. 22 – Opening Night of 2020-21 season, Copyright © 2021 NBA Media Ventures, LLC. The league released the list of opponents for each team, but will release the game dates in two segments. [14], The COVID-19 pandemic in North America, which pushed the conclusion of the previous 2019–20 season and playoffs into the fall, had delayed the start date of training camp to November 10, 2020. The NBA and the NBPA announced on Nov. 9 that they’ve struck a deal on rules for the 2020-21 season, which will start on Dec. 22. Day. [38] Later in October, Sports Illustrated reported that the NBA was targeting December 22, 2020, as the first day of the season. This is similar to what happened to the Raptors' Major League Baseball counterpart, the Toronto Blue Jays, who were forced to play their 2020 home games in Buffalo. [72], As the NBA's plans for the 2020–21 season began to take shape, the Toronto Raptors were denied permission to play home games in Toronto as the Canadian federal government ruled that repeated cross-border trips by the Raptors and their opponents would be a major health risk due to the different levels of COVID-19 cases in the United States and Canada. The NBA today announced its national television schedule for the first three game days of the 2020-21 season: an opening-night doubleheader on TNT on Tuesday, Dec. 22, one game each on TNT and ESPN on Wednesday, Dec. 23, and five Christmas Day games across ESPN and ABC on Friday, Dec. 25. NBA hoping to start 2020-21 season by December 22nd, end by Olympics. The 2020–21 NBA season is the 75th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The NBA continues to negotiate with the National Basketball Players Association on other aspects of the 2020-21 season. Mar. The NBA offseason might ending sooner than many of us expected. Washington vs. Milwaukee - Washington's sixth consecutive postponed game. Do Not Sell My Personal Information | the NBA Privacy Center, it will apply to data controlled independently by the NBA. ", "Report: The Spurs indefinitely postpone bringing fans back into the AT&T Center", "Lightning elects not to admit fans for foreseeable future", "NBA extends television deals with ESPN, TNT", "NBA 2020 Tipoff: ESPN Plans 50-50 Split Between Onsite and REMI Game Productions", "NBA 2020 Tipoff: Turner Sports Opts for 'At-Home' Production Until MLK Day", "Raptors games to be shown locally on TV", "Westbrook becomes 4th with two triple-doubles to begin season", "Russell Westbrook joins Oscar Robertson, starts season with three triple-doubles", "Mavericks set record with 50-point halftime lead over Clippers", "Stephen Curry third player, fastest ever to reach 2,500 career 3-pointers", "Bucks set NBA record for 3-pointers in blowout of Heat", "LeBron James extends record streak of 10-point games to 1,000", "Carmelo Anthony passes Tim Duncan for 14th in career scoring", "Bucks, Pistons take knee on opening possessions", "NBA's Fight for Social Justice Emboldened After U.S. Capitol Siege", "Duncan Robinson becomes fastest NBA player to make 300 threes", "Raptors set franchise scoring record after rallying from 19-point deficit to beat Kings", "Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball becomes youngest to post triple-double", "No practice, no problem: Harden posts triple-double in Nets debut", "Hawks' Clint Capela matches Shaquille O'Neal with historically dominant interior performance", "Donovan Mitchell Fastest Player In NBA History To Hit 600 Threes", "Stephen Curry passes Reggie Miller for No. [36] National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts also suggested that the season might eventually have to start inside a "bubble" environment, similar to the 2020 playoffs. The NBA and National Basketball Players Association agreed to push back the start of the 2020-21 season, sources told The Athletic's Shams Charania on Tuesday. On October 20, 2020, the Indiana Pacers hired, On October 20, 2020, the Los Angeles Clippers promoted, On October 22, 2020, the New Orleans Pelicans hired, On October 30, 2020, the Houston Rockets hired, On November 11, 2020, the Oklahoma City Thunder promoted. San Antonio vs. New Orleans - San Antonio and New Orleans both did not have enough available players due to ongoing contact tracing. Meanwhile, the NBA league office reportedly told the Board of Governors that Dec. 22 is the targeted start date for the 2020-21 season, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. The NBA and NBPA have a provisional agreement that the 2020-21 NBA season will start on December 22. NBA 2020-21 Start Date, Calendar, Format and Schedule. When will 2020-21 NBA season start? The 2020-21 NBA season will begin Tuesday, Dec. 22. If you make a request through the WarnerMedia Privacy Center, On Thursday, the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) confirmed that the organization had "tentatively approved a start date of … Philadelphia vs. Oklahoma City - Philadelphia did not have enough available players due to ongoing contact tracing. NBA Soundsystem: The start of the 2020-21 NBA season is upon us. [39] On November 5, 2020, the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) tentatively approved a 72-game regular season that will begin on December 22, 2020. 25: NBA Trade Deadline; May 13-15: Class of 2020 Hall of Fame Enshrinement; May 18-21: Play-In Tournament; May 22 – July 22: 2021 NBA Playoffs it will apply to data controlled jointly by the NBA and WarnerMedia as well as other data controlled by WarnerMedia. Terms of Use | WarnerMedia Privacy Center | ET on November 22. All of the games will be carried via the Fox Sports Go app, with selected games to also air on television via Fox Sports Sun (15) and Fox Sports Florida (2). [32] The preseason began on December 11, 2020, and ended on December 19, 2020. NBA Privacy Center | Washington vs. Charlotte - Washington continued to not have enough players. As of February 1, a total of 23 games have been postponed: The NBA will stage a "Play-in tournament" for teams ranked 7th through 10th in each conference from May 18–21. If you make a request through [34][35] The NBA also contemplated organizing the schedule such that teams would have less travel, with back-to-back games in the same cities against the same opponent.