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If you’ve been going through NBA withdrawals lately, you will likely be happy to hear the latest report from Shams Charania, who said Thursday night the NBPA has approved the plan to tip off the 2020-21 season on Dec. 22.
The National Basketball Players Association has voted to tentatively approve NBA’s proposal for the 2020-21 campaign starting on Dec. 22 and playing 72-game season, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 6, 2020
NBA set to tip off Christmas week.
That’s right, if everything comes together, the season will begin just in time for the showcase Christmas Day games, which quite possibly would include a game on the holiday for the LA Clippers. If nothing else, it will be nice to get to watch games on Christmas as usual in what has been a very abnormal year.
Recent reports have indicated the new season will be played at local arenas, not in a bubble, with reduced travel, likely due to more regional play over the course of the season. The 72-game season is expected to lead to the playoffs beginning in May and running until July, so the normal timeline for the NBA season would be effectively pushed back roughly a month overall.
If the tentative approval leads to a set deal, this all means the offseason downtime will be over pretty much in a matter of days. The NBA Draft is scheduled for Nov. 18, and training camps could open around Dec. 1, with free agency probably kicking off in the interim period. It’s going to become a whirlwind very, very quickly, so catch your breath now, because it looks like the Clippers and the rest of the NBA will be back up and running in a matter of weeks.