NEW YORK—Basketball fans, and hungry sports fans in general, now know when their teams will be returning to the court and to their TV screens to resume the 2019-2020 NBA season, as the NBA has released an official schedule.
The NBA, like all professional sport leagues, suspended play in mid-March because of the coronavirus. They are resuming their season starting July 30 with eight games for 22 teams to determine final playoff seedings, with all games taking place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.
Games will air nationally on TNT, ESPN and ABC. The restart will tipoff with a double-header on TNT featuring the Utah Jazz playing the New Orleans Pelicans and the LA Clippers playing Lebron James’ Los Angeles Lakers. NBA TV is also set to televise games during the seeding round.
Here is the complete schedule for the NBA’s return.
Tipoff times for the final games of the seeding round will be determined at a later date so that the most compelling matchups can be broadcast on national TV.
The NBA and its broadcast and technology partners are collaborating to enhance game telecasts for an “immersive, interactive viewing experience” for fans, according to the NBA. No details for what that entails were shared at this time.
The seeding games will conclude on Aug. 14. In the event that a play-in game is needed for a final playoff sport, that will take place from Aug. 15-16. The 2020 NBA Playoffs will then begin on Aug. 17.
Sports have been slowly making their return to play in recent weeks. NASCAR and the PGA have returned to a somewhat normal schedule, albeit without fans. Meanwhile, MLB and the NHL have revealed their plans for a return to play, but no official schedules have been released as of yet.
