Silver says no National Basketball Association decisions likely until May

Tanya Simon

April 7, 2020

"The fact is one sitting here today, I know less, in a way, than I did then". "And I don't think that necessarily means on May 1 we will be".

"The short answer is no", Silver said.

The NBA commissioner said he does not expect any decisions to be made about the 2019-20 NBA season until at least May.

All options, including a cancelled season, a shortened season that jumps into the playoffs or finishing the full scheduled slate, are on the table.

Silver added that "in a flawless world", the National Basketball Association would finish the regular season and commence the playoffs as scheduled, however with the developing pandemic, a clear decision is likely to still take weeks. Playing regular-season games as well as a postseason is still a possibility "in an ideal world".

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The NBA and NBPA have been collaborating in recent weeks on the viability of multiple blood-testing devices for COVID-19 that would provide results within minutes.

During his interview, Silver also shed light on a Saturday conference call in which he and other commissioners from major sports leagues around the U.S. spoke with President Donald Trump.

Silver and WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert were among the sports commissioners who participated in Saturday's 45-minute conference call with President Donald Trump, who expressed his desire to see live sporting events again after tiring of classic golf telecasts over the past several weeks. It wasn't just a pep talk, but I think it was a reminder of what the meaning of sports is to Americans, to our culture in particular.

As the country grapples with the coronavirus pandemic and attempts to flatten the nationwide curve, don't hold your breath for any major news regarding the NBA's return.