NBA may not return until June with playoffs extending into August: report

The NBA may not be returning until June, with the playoffs and NBA Championship extending into August, according to an ESPN report on Sunday.

The league suspended its season last week after an NBA player contracted coronavirus, and it’s far from clear when events in the United States will return to normalcy.

“For now, there’s a working plan that games would return without fans, and teams have been told to search out arena dates well into August for the playoffs,” league sources told ESPN. “Teams have been directed to give the league office potential dates at smaller nearby game venues, including team practice facilities, that could spare the use of empty, cavernous arenas and possibly provide backdrops to unique television viewing lines.”

The NBA usually wraps up its regular season in April, with the playoffs and championship round extending into mid-June.

All major sports leagues in the U.S. have decided to suspend play in their respective leagues, including the NHL and MLB. The PGA announced last week the Masters, set for mid-April, is postponed but not canceled.

The NCAA announced on Thursday its men’s and women’s tournaments, known as March Madness, would also be canceled.

Sports fans were left with coverage of PBA bowling, professional fishing and repeats of past sporting events over the weekend to get their fix. It marked the first time since 9/11 that most major sports were not played on a weekend in the U.S..

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that no events be held with more than 50 people, and several states and cities have closed bars, theaters and other venues.