NBA Board of Governors approves 22-team restart plan

The NBA approved a plan to resume the season. Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

NBA Board of Governors approves Orlando 22-team restart plan

By Zac Wassink | Last updated Jun 4, 2020 2:36 PM ET

The NBA is back.

On Thursday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski confirmed the NBA Board of Governors has, as was expected, voted to approve the 22-team model to complete the 2019-20 season that was suspended on March 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

When you wish upon a star ...

Welcome back, @NBA ✨ pic.twitter.com/Nc91ycGUuL
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 4, 2020

Wojnarowski added that the vote passed 29-1.

The Athletic's Shams Charania tweeted the Portland Trail Blazers registered the only "no" vote.

ESPN reported 13 Western Conference teams and nine Eastern Conference clubs will participate in the campaign's resumption that is tentatively scheduled for July 31 and that could finish around or on Oct. 12. The NBA Draft Lottery will occur Aug. 25, with the draft set for Oct. 15.

A play-in tournament could determine No. 8 seeds following an amended eight-game schedule. Clubs will convene and play at Orlando's Walt Disney World Resort.

Charania confirmed other dates for the remainder of the 2019-20 NBA year:

Sources: The NBA informed the Board of Governors of scheduled dates:

- Training camp: June 30, July 7 travel to Orlando
- 2019-20 season: July 31
- Free agency: Oct. 18
- 2020-21 targets: Nov. 10 training camp, Dec. 1 opening night (can remain fluid)
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 4, 2020

It's believed the National Basketball Players Association will sign off on the proposal.

Last week, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced that league's 24-team model to crown a Stanley Cup champion. Major League Soccer will restart play next month with a 26-club tournament at the Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World.

Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association remain in the standstill regarding multiple matters.

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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