Adam Silver says NBA’s 2021 season is unlikely to stop for Tokyo Olympics
Decision could affect the tournament if it is able to be played.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Friday night it is unlikely the league will take a break next summer for the Olympic Games, a decision that could dramatically affect the tournament if it is able to be played.
“We’ll consider it. I think it’s unlikely, at the end of the day, that, if we start late, we would stop for the Olympics,” Silver said in an interview with NBA TV inside the league’s bubble at Walt Disney World Resort. “Because, as you know, it’s not just a function of stopping for the period in which they are competing over in Tokyo. But they require training camp, and then they require rest afterwards".
Olympics are scheduled to take place in Tokyo from July 23 to Aug. 8, after they were postponed for a year. It is tough that if the NBA plays its full season, it will be able to avoid conflicting with the Games, risking to make Tokyo the first Olympic tournament without NBA players in almost 30 years.