LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday that his "best guess" is that next season will not start until at least January, plus acknowledged that the later-than-usual schedule could mean top U.S. men's players miss next summer's Tokyo Olympics.
Silver, a guest in a series of panel discussions on CNN, did not indicate that any decisions are finalized. The league was originally hoping for a Dec. 1 start to next season, then shifted its focus to the chance of a late December start, and now the target has apparently moved again.
"I continue to believe that we're going to be better off getting into January," Silver said in a discussion with Bob Costas during part of the "Citizen by CNN" event.