NBA Return 2020: Games Will Resume In July, Barring 'Unforeseen Turn Of Events'

The wheels are in motion for professional basketball to return. More than two months after the 2019-2020 NBA season was suspended indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic, the league is getting ready to resume games and eventually crown a champion.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe, teams expect to receive guidelines that will allow them to start recalling players who have left their markets around June 1. The report indicates that an official announcement regarding the league’s return is likely to come in June and games are expected to start up again at some point in July “barring an unforeseen turn of events.”

The NBA’s plan reportedly would include two weeks for players to return to their markets and quarantine. Individual workouts at team facilities would last from one to two weeks. Each team would be given between two and three weeks of training camp to get ready for games, according to ESPN.

The league still has to determine how it will handle the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs. Every team has somewhere between 15 and 19 games left on the 82-game schedule. It’s almost certain that only a portion of the regular season will be played in order to make sure that the postseason doesn’t extend well beyond Labor Day.

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 cites such as Las Vegas.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 20, 2020

Multiple neutral sites remain a possibility, as @KeithSmithNBA’s source alludes to here. But no doubt Disney World is the favorite and has been for some time due to its vast hotels & facilities. And it’s a private property, so it’s easier to control who goes in and who goes out. https://t.co/xLhx64kwXR
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) May 20, 2020

Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida and Las Vegas have been discussed as possible sites for games to be played. Home arenas are unlikely to be used, and fans aren’t expected to be in attendance for the remainder of the season.

“We are confident we'll be hosting the NBA in some fashion,” sources from Disney told Yahoo Sports’ Keith Smith. “It may not be the entire league, but we believe the NBA will be here to at least finish part of their season. Still hurdles to cross, but we are preparing as if that is the case.”

The season was suspended on March 13 when Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19.