Archive for March 2020
Chinese Basketball Association preparing for relaunch
What challenges exist for the Chinese Basketball Association to relaunch its season during the global COVID-19 pandemic? Plenty, but CBA officials are hoping to get the current campaign started again. Court Side Newspaper’s interview with a China-based NBA talent evaluator on Monday outlined many of the logistical challenges and concerns that exist. First, a brief…
Read MoreStephon Marbury working to secure 10 million masks for NYC
Stephon Marbury experienced plenty of ups and downs during his 13-season NBA career before becoming a basketball legend in China. In nearly a decade as a star attraction in the Asian nation, the New York City native became a fan favorite and cultural icon. This put him in a unique position to leverage his fame…
Read MoreBarcelona to apply a salary reduction due to the coronavirus crisis
Barcelona announced its decision to apply a basketball player salary reduction to all players and staff due to the coronavirus crisis. According to “Mundo Deportivo” , and starting from the senior teams, a reduction of 70% to all monthly salaries will be imposed to all the players and staff. However, the wages will return automatically…
Read MoreEuroLeague Basketball to extend season suspension amid the coronavirus crisis
EuroLeague Basketball is expected to extend the season suspension for another month due to the coronavirus pandemic. After a meeting that took place remotely on Wednesday, March 25, the competition agreed that play will resume once all participants are health and safe. Per the league’s official announcement: “Executive Board members agreed that: -The competitions will…
Read MoreTokyo Olympics no sure thing for 2020
The question isn’t if basketball will be played at the Tokyo Olympics. The question is this: When will the Tokyo Olympics take place? There are growing doubts that this will be an Olympic year. Growing sentiment points to 2021, or later. The original plan, which called for the Tokyo Olympics to start on July 24,…
Read MoreSalary cap will be reduced due to NBA’s projected losses of $1 billion
The economic landscape of the NBA, including the salary cap, will change due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the 30-team league, annual revenue now exceeds more than $8 billion. But some prognosticators now project a loss of more than $1 billion if the rest of the 2019-20 NBA season and playoffs don’t happen due to…
Read MorePanathinaikos parts ways with head coach Rick Pitino
Panathinaikos and Hall of Fame head coach Rick Pitino mutually agreed to put an end to their collaboration on Friday (20/03). Pitino, 67, returned to his native United States last week and, soon after, decided to continue his career next season at Iona College in New York. On Friday, Panathinaikos announced that it reached an…
Read MoreBora Stankovic passes away
the Legendary basketball official Borislav “Bora” Stankovic, a longtime FIBA secretary-general and member of the IOC passed away at the age of 95 in Belgrade. Borislav Stankovic first was a tennis player and later switched to table tennis. He was even Serbian champion in table tennis in 1943 and 1946. After the second world war,…
Read MoreEuroLeague considers moving the Final Four to a later date
EuroLeague Basketball considers moving the 2020 Final Four to a later date, due to the coronavirus pandemic. With the coronavirus spreading all over the world, the EuroLeague suspended the season for at least 30 days. However, as things are getting worse in many European countries, like Italy Spain, Germany and France, it is very likely…
Read MoreBest-case scenario: 2019-20 NBA season resumes in June
There’s no guarantee that the 2019-20 NBA season can resume or be completed due to the coronavirus outbreak. It looks like the worst-case scenario is a real possibility. Last Wednesday, World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. The NBA suspended its season on the same day. On Sunday, The Centers for Disease Control and…
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