The NBA is aiming to make arena suites open to fans at about 25-to-50 percent capacity at the start of the 2020-21 season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The league is targeting Dec. 22 as a tipoff date and is waiting for the players union to agree. The union is expected to vote on the start date (with Jan. 18 being the other option) by Friday.
Regardless of when the NBA begins again, it intends to hold games in team markets. Commissioner Adam Silver recently said he is hopeful that at least a percentage of fans can be safely back in the buildings.
“The coronavirus pandemic has made life fluid, and a clinical vaccine will play a role in this too,” Charania wrote. “The NBA’s goal is some amount of fans to start the season, depending on each market’s restrictions. Courtside fans, for instance, would be about 10-to-12 feet away, sources said.”
