NBA reportedly expects full arenas for 2021-22 season

With the COVID-19 vaccine being rolled out across the country, fans can begin to think about what full arenas will look like in the near future. 

The NBA reportedly expects arenas to be at full capacity for the 2021-22 season and is hopeful that it can safely welcome more fans into the stands this season, according to ESPN's Baxter Holmes.

Holmes reports a "key aspect" toward allowing more fans to attend games is the NBA's league-wide partnership with Clear, "a biometric screening company known for its expedited security process at hundreds of airports worldwide."

The partnership makes Clear's COVID-19 health-screening technology available to all NBA teams. The deal could be announced as soon as Wednesday morning, Holmes says.

Most NBA teams are already allowing a limited amount of fans into games this season. With every American becoming eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine on April 19, some teams could opt to increase capacity before the end of the month. 

Several NBA players have already received their coronavirus vaccine, including Karl-Anthony Towns, Gordon Hayward, Jusuf Nurkic, Danilo Gallinari and Robert Covington, among others.