NBA Considering Suspending Season Through Mid-June

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Angelenos hoping to see the Clippers and Lakers face off in the playoffs may have to wait quite a while longer than they may have expected as the basketball world reels from the coronavirus outbreak.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA is considering attempting to salvage the remainder of the season with a return to play in mid-to-late June as a possible "best-case scenario."

When players do return to the floor, they would be playing without fans in attendance, according to the proposal being considered, Wojnarowski reports.

It's unclear if the league would forgo the remaining 16 to 20 regular season games and immediately start the playoffs, and/or whether the playoffs would be truncated.

This comes as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Sunday that all gatherings nationwide of 50 people or more be canceled for the next eight weeks.

On March 11, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver immediately suspended the season when Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 just prior to a Jazz game. The following day, Silver announced league play would be suspended for at least 30 days.

The possibility of a lost season has been especially devastating to the Lakers and Clippers, both of whom sit atop the Western Conference and carry serious title aspirations.

According to the CDC, COVID-19 — the disease caused by the coronavirus — is spread from person-to-person through close contact, usually within 6 feet, and mainly via respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

Symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. People are likely most contagious when they are most symptomatic. Coronavirus can also be spread by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching your mouth, nose and eyes.