With the number of COVID-19 cases having surged past a million cases in recent days, there is no doubt that the pandemic is wreaking havoc on virtually every aspect of life including sports. Most sporting calendars have been widely affected leading in postponement and even cancellation of some major events. Now, talking of top sporting action, many basketball events are facing uncertainties as the pandemic continues to spread around the globe. Let us do a quick update on the major basketball events that have been dealt a blow by the COVID-19 outbreak.
List of basketball events affected by the Coronavirus
The suspended National Basketball Association (NBA) games
According to The National Basketball Association suspended the regular season on March 11. The suspension of the games is essentially an indefinite one made in efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus. The NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in an interview on “Inside the NBA” that the league’s suspension would last for around thirty days. That looks quite optimistic at the moment as the virus is yet to be contained. In fact, figures are showing that the virus is spreading fast. According to NBA’s official site though, the season will hopefully resume action in July depending on how the pandemic pans out. The suspension also affects the Basketball Africa League (BAL) that was set for its inaugural season in the African continent.
Postponement of the WNBA
The Women National Basketball Association has been equally affected by the coronavirus, with the officials reconsidering the dates of the games. The WNBA officials announced that they were officially postponing the start of training camps. Besides, they also postponed the 2020 regular season of the WNBA.
The details released in regard to the postponement show that the training camp was slated to begin on April 26. Similarly, the opening night had also been scheduled for May 15, this year. It is hoped that it will resume when the pandemic has been contained.
Details have emerged confirming that the league will hold the 2020 WNBA Draft on April 17. This will be conducted virtually and out of the court, which is a new way of doing it. The WNBA Draft will be available for viewing on ESPN TV, and for live streaming on WatchESPN. Again, the fate of the WNBA hinges on the situation with COVID-19.
The 2020 NCAA Tournament canceled
The National Collegiate Association (NCAA) has made a historic move to cancel the 2020 NCAA Men’s basketball tournament. The decision was reached in an attempt to join hands in combating the spread of the ravaging coronavirus disease. This marks the first time such a decision has been made in the annual NCAA tournament since its inauguration in 1939. In a statement to the press, the NCAA president Mark Emmert and the board of governors announced that they had canceled the Division 1 men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments. All the remaining winter and spring NCAA championships were also canceled. Again, the decision to cancel the games was based on the public health threat that the COVID-19 is posing to humanity at the moment. Moreover, the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA tournament championships in winter and spring also included women’s basketball.
The suspension of the EuroLeague Basketball
The EuroLeague has also been suspended until further notice following the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. If you haven’t watched the EuroLeague before then it’s a basketball competition featuring the best basketball teams in Europe. According to EuroLeague Basketball official site, all competitions have been suspended until further notice including the 2019-20 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, 7DAYS EuroCup, and Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament.
FIBA Competitions Suspended
FIBA is the world’s governing body on Basketball and it has also followed suit with the suspension of all its games indefinitely. The suspension took effect on Friday, 13 March 2020, with the aim of protecting the health and safety of players, coaches, officials, and fans.
Basketball England cancellation of activities
Basketball England has also canceled all its affiliated basketball activity for the remainder of the 2019/2020 season. The decision was reached following the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and in an attempt to protect both the players and fans.
The two specific basketball activities that were canceled are:
· Basketball England’s Leagues; the NBL, affiliated Local Leagues, Jr. NBA, the EABL, WEABL, and the ABL Finals. The Dynamik National Schools competitions as well.
· The England National team activity, talent programs that include Aspire, and Basketball England education courses.
Wrap up:
In a nutshell, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had a massive effect on literally all sporting actions. Many basketball events have been affected as people around the world try to observe the measure of curbing the spread of the virus through social distancing. The future looks uncertain at the moment and it would be no surprise if most basketball events are canceled altogether.