The United States topped 100,000 new coronavirus cases in a day for the first time Wednesday, but the NBA is moving forward with seating ticket holders in attendance.
The NBA wants fans to sit courtside for the 2020-21 season.
The league will enforce social distancing rules while still hoping to boost revenue.
The coronavirus pandemic has made life fluid, and a clinical vaccine will play a role in this too. NBA's goal is some amount of fans to start the season, depending on each market's restrictions. Courtside fans, for instance, would be about 10-to-12 feet away, sources said. https://t.co/9I9cdN1gN3
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 5, 2020
Fans would be required to wear masks and possibly get tested before attending games.
Shams Charania also reported that the number of people allowed to attend would depend on local restrictions.
The league and the NBPA are expected to agree on fans attending in hopes of recuperating some of their financial losses.
Basketball-related income, BRI, was down $1.5 billion for the 2019-20 season and the league warned teams that 40% of BRI could be sacrificed this season if fans are not in attendance, which seemed more and more likely with rising COVID-19 numbers.
The league is expected to finalize plans for the upcoming season soon.