NBA: Adam Silver preparing players for possibility of empty arenas until next year
NBA commissioner Adam Silver is preparing the league’s players for the possibility of not having fans until next year.
It would be the safest route to go for the league until a vaccine for the coronavirus (COVID-19) has been developed. It’s also the current reality the entire NBA community is in.
With fans in buildings constituting 40 percent of league revenue, the NBA is working on creative ways on TV to deliver the games to audiences, Silver told players. Silver started to prepare players for possibility of no fans in arenas next year without a vaccine, sources said.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 8, 2020
Admittedly, the commissioner said the pandemic has been the “greatest challenge” in the NBA’s history, and that the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) isn’t prepared for a situation of such magnitude.
Michele Roberts asked Silver on the call about financial impact moving foward for the league and players, and Silver flatly said that the collective bargaining agreement "wasn't built for an extended pandemic." Silver called it all: "The greatest challenge" of our lifetime.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 8, 2020
Broader Adam Silver message on call to players: This is going to be hard — and hard for a long time. We need to work together. Hard choices are coming. No one will agree on everything. There are some difficult days of collective bargaining coming with grim financial realities.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 9, 2020
The league has already mulled resuming play but only with empty arenas before. Now, with practice facilities re-opening, the NBA is also considering just one playoff venue — a host city, should the season still continue.
