The commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver, said on Friday that he believes it is “unlikely” to interrupt the next season for players to compete in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
“We will consider it. I think it is unlikely that if we start late we will stop for the Olympics,” the commissioner said in an interview with NBA TV before the second game of the Finals between the Lakers and the Heat.
“It is not just about stopping (the competition) for the period in which they would be competing in Tokyo. It would require a training camp and a subsequent break,” he said.
The coronavirus pandemic disrupted all NBA calendars by causing a game stoppage of more than four months in the current season, which should have ended last June.
Last Wednesday Silver reiterated that the next season, originally scheduled to begin in October, will not start at least until Christmas, although it is more likely to do so around January.
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This delay called into question the participation of NBA players, both Americans and other countries, in the Tokyo Games, scheduled from July 31 to August 8 of next year.
“I’m a bit concerned about some of the international teams because some of their stars play in our league and their absence would make a big difference for those teams,” Silver acknowledged.
“Having said that, I can only say that these are such extraordinary circumstances that even if we prepare to play in the Olympics, how can you know what the world will be like next summer and if they will move on?” He asked.
“I think that during these extraordinary times all the conventional rules are off the table and everyone is going to have to make certain adjustments,” he advanced.
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