The 2019-20 NBA season was significantly delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, and that will result in a break from the traditional league schedule next year as well.
The NBA informed its Board of Governors on Thursday that the 2020-21 season will not begin before Christmas Day, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports. The draft will be held Nov. 18, and no official date has been settled on for the start of the regular season.
The current NBA postseason is going to spill into October and end not long before the 2020-21 season was originally scheduled to begin. It was a foregone conclusion that next season would be postponed, but now we have an idea of how long the layoff might be.
Pushing back the start of the season is something the NBA explored prior to the pandemic, and it’s possible the change could become permanent. One prominent head coach said months ago that he would be open to a schedule change.
