NBA, next season can begin on Christmas

The NBA Board of Governors will discuss the 2020-21 schedule, including a potential start date, when it meets on Friday.

According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Zach Lowe, the board will explore the possibility of starting the 2020-21 season on Christmas Day to benefit from a potentially huge audience. Some team reps reportedly don’t consider it practical, however, which could lead to more discussions about the start of the season around Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend in mid-January.

Marc Stein of the New York Times reported that the idea of ​​starting Christmas Day is gaining momentum.

The council should also discuss the possibility of implementing a schedule in which teams will play fewer than 82 regular season games.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported that the NBA is aiming for a December 22 start and 72-game season ending before the 2021 Summer Olympics.

According to Charania, the teams will earn over $ 500 million more if they start December 22 than at a later date.

He also noted that the league wants to continue using the play-in tournament to determine the eighth-seeded Eastern and Western Conference in the playoffs.