The NBA’s bubble season was a massive success, but now the league faces a big question: when will they start their next season? And according to Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill, it’s looking more likely that the answer is Jan. 18, which is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Usually, the NBA season would be starting right around now, but considering the Lakers won the championship just a couple weeks ago, they obviously will be pushing the season back. Initially, there was buzz around Christmas, but giving players a little over two months off before beginning the season is unrealistic, so it is looking like mid-January may be the goal.
There are obviously a lot of questions that surround starting the season beyond just the actual date, including if the league still hopes to play a full 82-game season and if games will be played in front of fans. If the league decides to go for a complete season, they will likely find themselves in direct competition with the NFL and MLB come playoff time, which many believe caused them to have record-low ratings.
As for fans, the league has given every indication that they intend for games to be played in front of fans next season, though that would probably be more based on which teams are even allowed to have fans based on their state’s rules, similar to what the NFL is currently experiencing. Even for those teams that are allowed fans, it’s highly unlikely that arenas will be even close to full capacity, as there is little indication that the pandemic will be over by the start of 2021.
