Commissioner Adam Silver said it’s unlikely that the NBA would pause play in the event next season conflicts with the Tokyo Olympics, as relayed by Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
Next season is expected to tip off no earlier than January, meaning it may not be finished before the scheduled start of the Olympics on July 23.
“I think it’s unlikely, at the end of the day, that, if we start late, we would stop for the Olympics,” Silver said. “Because, as you know, it’s not just a function of stopping for the period in which they are competing over in Tokyo. But they require training camp, and then they require rest afterwards.”
Playing through the Olympics would not only impact the U.S. men’s basketball team, but the entire world, given the international makeup of the NBA. In other words, it might very well make the gold medal up for grabs.
Silver has indicated the NBA has every intention of playing an 82-game season in 2020-21.
