NBA Close to Restarting Season: Reports

The NBA is considering a 22-team format for its return to play. (Image credit: Basketball)

The NBA may be the next pro sports league to resume play as it is proposing a 22-team regular season and playoff format, ESPN.com reported Wednesday.

The proposal, which is expected to be voted on by the NBA’s Board of Governors Thursday afternoon, will call for 13 Western Conference teams and nine Eastern Conference teams to play eight regular-season games before heading into the playoffs, according to ESPN. All games would be played at The Walt Disney World Resort.

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Teams will begin training at team sites in July and advance to full training camps in Orlando. Player safety protocols are still to be negotiated, according to ESPN.

The NBA suspended its regular season on March 11 after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. 

The NBA news comes on the heels of Major League Soccer players approving a modified collective bargaining agreement that paves the way for the league to return next month with a tournament to be held at Walt Disney World Resort, according to ESPN. 

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.