Basketball season starts amid surging COVID-19 cases

A handful of international basketball leagues started the 2020/2021 season this past weekend, and the bulk will follow within the next two weeks. While the NBA is still in the process of wrapping up the past season (2019/2020), the Polish league kicked off the new season as early as the 29th of August. The Mexican…

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NBA playoffs set to start

The first-round matchups for the NBA playoffs are set. Eight of 16 teams in the postseason tournament are set to begin their quest for the title on Monday, Aug. 17. The No. 1 seeds for the NBA playoffs are the Milwaukee Bucks (56-17) in the Eastern Conference and the Los Angeles Lakers (52-19) in the…

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Italy Serie A season to start with no fans in stands: report

The Italy Serie A is expected to begin the 2020-21 season by staging games without spectators in the stands. According to a recent report in La Gazzetta dello Sport, the upcoming campaign will likely commence with a cap on people (125 maximum), including support personnel, at Serie A venues during games. COVID-19 precautionary measures What’s…

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Zion Williamson a ‘game-time decision’ as NBA season resumes

After a four-day quarantine following his return to the NBA campus at Walt Disney World, New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson participated in practices on Tuesday and Wednesday. It remains to be seen if Williamson will compete in Thursday’s game against the Utah Jazz, the teams’ first of the NBA restart. “It’ll be a game-time…

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Nikola Jokic, several other NBA players test positive for COVID-19

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic and several other NBA players have tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days, according to published reports. The Serbian veteran is one of the NBA’s premier big men. Jokic is averaging a career-best 20.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists in 65 games this season. Sacramento Kings players Jabari Parker,…

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2020 NBA Draft to be held on Oct. 16

The 2020 NBA Draft is set for Oct. 16 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, the league announced on Saturday. In normal times, the annual event is held in June. But the COVID-19 pandemic has altered all aspects of the NBA calendar, forcing the 2020 NBA Draft to be rescheduled. The NBA is currently…

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Kyrie Irving, peers debate merits of NBA relaunch

While the NBA Board of Governors was nearly unanimous in supporting the plan to restart the 2019-20 season inside a “safety bubble” in Florida on July 31, players, including Kyrie Irving, have expressed a more diverse range of views. Even so, the National Basketball Players Association voted last week 28-0 to approve commissioner Adam Silver’s…

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Owners approve plan for NBA restart on July 31

The NBA restart of the suspended 2019-20 campaign will put the world’s premier basketball league back in the spotlight in Florida. By a 29-1 vote last week, the NBA Board of Governors authorized a plan to complete the season and stage the playoffs at Walt Disney World. The Portland Trail Blazers voted against the plan.…

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NBA Board of Governors to vote on plan to restart season

A crucial NBA Board of Governors vote is scheduled for Thursday. The topic on the docket: restarting the 2019-20 season. According to published reports, the plan with the most support is to bring 22 teams to Florida to complete the season and set the stage for the playoffs. Other proposals have called for all 30…

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FIBA outlines guidelines for basketball’s return

FIBA has established a set of guidelines to aid basketball governing bodies in their quest to resume matches and related events. All FIBA competitions have been suspended since mid-March due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. In an article published this week, FIBA said guidelines and a risk assessment tool will assist in making decisions about…

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