The NBA Board of Governors met recently and discussed starting the upcoming 2020-21 regular season as early as Dec. 22. This is surprising since the date comes just over two months after the Lakers and Heat played the last game of 2019-20.
A final decision is expected later this week. The December start would allow the league to have its annual Christmas Day showcase of games that has become a tradition in much the same way that the NFL has games on Thanksgiving.
Under this plan, the season would be shortened to 72 games, there would be no All-Star Weekend, the NBA draft would remain on November 18 and free agency would commence shortly after the draft.