Disney, NBA talking about resuming games near Orlando

Disney and the NBA are in talks to resume the season at a Disney-owned facility in central Florida in late July, the league said Saturday.

NBA spokesman Mike Bass said the negotiations, which remain “exploratory,” also involve the National Basketball Players Association. If successful, the league would play at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, which would also be used for housing and practices, The Associated Press reported.

“Our priority continues to be the health and safety of all involved, and we are working with public health experts and government officials on a comprehensive set of guidelines to ensure that appropriate medical protocols and protections are in place,” Bass said, according to the AP.

The NBA was the first major sports league to suspend its season after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus. In recent weeks, it has been at work on developing a way to return to play.

The league’s progress on developing testing protocols or securing tests remains unknown. It is also unclear how many regular-season games would be played or whether all 30 teams would play.

The playoffs, however, would likely be played in the usual best-of-seven format, the Los Angeles Lakers player Jared Dudley said in a conference call with reporters last Wednesday.

“That’s the money-winner when it comes to Disney,” Dudley said, according to the AP. “That’s why we’ll be in Orlando. Disney owns ESPN. That’s where they make their money. During the playoffs and finals, it will all be seven games. That one I’m almost 100 percent sure of.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has aggressively pitched the state as a site for resumed athletic events.

“We want to have you here. We want to have basketball practicing again,” DeSantis said at a press briefing earlier this month. “We would love to have Major League Baseball. And I think the message is that our people are starved to have some of this back in their lives. It’s an important part of people’s lives.”