EuroLeague officially cancels remainder of 2019-20 season

Professional basketball won't be played in Europe any time soon, but that shouldn't startle NBA fans who are hoping for a season resume at Walt Disney World.

The EuroLeague announced Monday that it has canceled the remainder of the 2019-20 season due to the coronavirus pandemic after halting play in March.

"Without a doubt, this is the most difficult decision we have had to take in our 20-year history," EuroLeague basketball president and CEO Jordi Bertomeu said in a statement. "Due to reasons beyond our control, we have been forced to cut short the most successful and exciting season in European basketball history."

The league also decided to not name a champion for the 2019-20 campaign, but the 2020-21 EuroLeague and EuroCup seasons will start on Oct. 1 and Sept. 30, 2020, respectively, which hasn't changed.

During the time off, the league will launch community recovery efforts and a season-opening charity event to celebrate next season's return.

Outside of the NBA, the EuroLeague is considered one of the world's top basketball leagues. It's made of 18 teams across 10 countries, and Anadolu Efes, Real Madrid and Barcelona topped the standings this year.

Many former NBA players currently are playing in the EuroLeague, including Nikola Mirotic, Amar'e Stoudemire, Jonas Jerebko, Timofey Mozgov, Shane Larkin, Chris Singleton and Edy Tavares, among others.