The Euroleague Basketball Company announced today in a press release that it has established a timeline for making a decision on whether or not the 2019/20 season will be resumed. That decision on the EuroLeague and EuroCup seasons will be made by May 24, per the release.
According to the announcement, EuroLeague and EuroCup teams unanimously approved the following tentative dates, assuming the season is resumed rather than canceled:
- May 29 – June 11: Quarantine period
- June 12 – July 2: Training camp
- July 4-17: EuroCup games played in central venue
- July 4-26: EuroLeague games played in central venue
As the release outlines, a resumed EuroLeague schedule would include a total of 54 remaining regular season games, plus a single-elimination Final Eight. The EuroCup schedule would include three rounds of playoffs, either using a single-elimination format or a two-game basket average. The two leagues would play in separate central venues, without fans in attendance.
If the EuroLeague season can be resumed, player contracts would be extended by a month, through July 31, and they’d receive 85% of their base salaries. If the season is canceled, player contracts for 2019/20 would end and they’d receive 80% of their salaries. In that scenario, the new league year for 2020/21 would begin on July 1.
While the specific details on the plans for the EuroLeague and EuroCup season may not interest every North American basketball fan, the actions of the top leagues in Europe are worth monitoring. After all, the NBA will eventually have to establish a similar timeline if it wants to resume and complete its own 2019/20 season.
Reports have indicated the NBA is willing to extend play into at least August or September, so the league may not have to finalize any decisions a month from now, like the Euroleague Basketball Company will. However, within the next month or two, the NBA will have to start seriously considering setting certain deadlines and drop-dead dates for the ’19/20 season.
Season is cancelled. Accept it. May not even have next season start until December or January.
Good job Euro-BB. Set the dates first then things will fall into line as experts weigh in.
For the public response to resumption, it is better if the NBA is goaded by the Euroleague than by the NFL. As far as the shelter-in-home message, that will be clear enough by the oddness of the setup and the different sounds.
Mental health in the “Q-couch” gets more key the longer this lasts. It’s not just about businesses.
Being mentally ill but alive is probably better than being dead for most people. NBA showed leadership and continues to do so, only thing I have liked about Silver.
Really??? Clearly you or a loved one of yours has never been mentally ill!