2020–21 NBA season
The 2020–21 NBA season will be the 75th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The regular season was originally supposed to start on October 21, 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic in North America, its scheduled start date has been pushed to December 1, 2020. The 2021 NBA All-Star Game is scheduled for Bankers Life Fieldhouse on February 14, 2021. The regular season is then scheduled to end in April 2021, the NBA Playoffs to start in April 2021 and the NBA Finals in June 2021. This is the first time since the 2011–12 season that an NBA season will start in December.
2020–21 NBA season | |
---|---|
League | National Basketball Association |
Sport | Basketball |
Duration |
|
Number of games | 82 considered |
Number of teams | 30 |
TV partner(s) | ABC, TNT, ESPN, NBA TV |
Draft | |
Regular season | |
Playoffs | |
Finals |
Transactions
Retirement
- On June 25, 2020, Vince Carter retired after playing 22 seasons in the NBA and played for eight teams.[1]
Free agency
Free agency negotiations will begin on October 18.[2]
Coaching changes
Team | 2019–20 season | 2020–21 season |
---|---|---|
Off-season | ||
Brooklyn Nets | Jacque Vaughn | |
New York Knicks | Mike Miller (interim) | Tom Thibodeau |
Chicago Bulls | Jim Boylen | |
New Orleans Pelicans | Alvin Gentry | |
Off-season
- On March 7, 2020, Jacque Vaughn was named interim head coach of the Brooklyn Nets after Kenny Atkinson and the team mutually agreed to part ways.[3]
- On July 25, 2020, Tom Thibodeau was hired as the new coach of the New York Knicks replacing Interim Coach Mike Miller and David Fizdale who was fired on December 6, 2019.[4]
- On August 14, 2020, Jim Boylen was fired as head coach of the Chicago Bulls after two seasons with the team.[5]
- On August 15, 2020, Alvin Gentry was fired as head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans after five seasons with the team.[6]
Preseason
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in North America, which caused the conclusion of the previous 2019–20 season and playoffs to be pushed into the summer, the start date of training camp has been delayed to November 10, 2020.[7]
Regular season
The 2020–21 regular season has also been pushed to December 1, 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent delay of completing the previous 2019–20 season and playoffs. The league still intends to hold a full 82-game regular season in 2020–21, with a condensed schedule so the Finals are played as it normally does in June, which will allow players to participate in the 2020 Summer Olympics, which was also postponed from 2020 to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.[7]
Uniforms
On July 21, 2020, the NBA and Nike announced that the "Statement Edition" uniforms would switch to the Air Jordan label.[8]
Media
This will be the fifth year of the current nine-year contracts with ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV.[9]
See also
References
- "Vince Carter announces his retirement from NBA after 22 seasons". NBA.com. June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- Reynolds, Tim (June 20, 2020). "NBA sets Oct. 16 Draft date, Oct. 18 for free-agent talks". NBA.com. Associated Press. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
- "Brooklyn Nets, coach Kenny Atkinson mutually agree to part ways". NBA.com. March 7, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
- "Tom Thibodeau Reportedly Finalizing Five Year Deal". NBCSports.com. July 25, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
- "Bulls Fire Head Coach Jim Boylen After Two Seasons". ESPN.com. August 14, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- "Alvin Gentry relieved of head coaching duties". NBA.com. August 15, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
- Bontemps, Tim; Windhorst, Brian (June 5, 2020). "What we know and don't know about the NBA's return to play". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
- "Jumpman logo to appear on some NBA uniforms". ESPN.com. July 21, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- "NBA extends television deals with ESPN, TNT". ESPN.com. February 14, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2020.