As disagreements over player contracts continue to bog down Major League Baseball, the NBA is gearing up for its socially-distant 2020 season.
Speaking Tuesday onBoston Public Radio about what basketball fans can expect was Trenni Kusnierek, reporter and anchor at NBC Sports Boston.
“The NBA has come up with a plan to return to the wide world of sports at Disney World, which is a self-contained complex,” she explained. "Right now, I think they’re slated to begin games on July 30, like a regular season, to about the early part of August, and then play a truncated… post-season from that.”
Not everyone’s on the same page, however. Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving, alongside the Los Angeles Lakers’ Avery Bradley, have formed a coalition questioning the league's approach to reopening.
Half of their argument, Kusnierek said, is that more needs to be done to financially shield players should the contract COVID-19. Their second argument comes in response to the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests, and whether the league’s predominantly Black athletes ought to focus their energy on addressing the current political moment.
Read More: How Will Protests Shape What Pro Sports Leagues, Teams Do To Make Change?
Kusnierek said she’s doubtful that this new coalition will halt the upcoming season.
"I really think guys, that this is a league that’s definitely going to get it done and play,” she said. Part of her reasoning, she explained, was that LeBron James, arguably the league’s foremost player, is opting to do both.
"LeBron James has made it very public that he thinks the best way that they can serve the U.S., both in terms of morale coming off of Covid but also all the social justice reform, is on the court, using their voice.”
