NBA commissioner Adam Silver doesn’t anticipate a bubble for the playoffs

The NBA had a successful bubble for the end of the regular season and playoffs last season where there were no positive COVID-19 tests. But for this year’s postseason, NBA commissioner Adam Silver anticipates playing the games in home arenas.

That was among the many issues Silver addressed in a Zoom press conference on Saturday, the day before the NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta.

“We’re not considering going back to a bubble right now,” Silver said. “I don’t rule anything out, just because one thing we’ve all come to understand over the last year is that the virus is firmly in charge.”

When asked about players getting a COVID 19 vaccine, Silver said there is no NBA player that he is aware of that has been vaccinated yet, but he said there have been some coaches and team personnel who have received the vaccine. He said the people who have been vaccinated have been age appropriate under the protocols in the jurisdictions where they live.

As for next season, Silver said he anticipates it beginning closer to the normal time, which would be mid-to-late October, with the NBA Finals in June. This season began on Dec. 22, with the playoffs to extend until July 22. This season was cut from the usual 82 games to 72.

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“I’m fairly optimistic, at this point, that we will be able to start [next season] on time ,” Silver said. “Roughly half our teams have fans in their arenas right now and, if vaccines continue on the pace they are and they continue to be as effective as they have been against the virus and its variants, we’re hopeful that we’ll have relatively full arenas next season as well.”

The 76ers will begin welcoming fans for their next home game, March 14 against against the San Antonio Spurs. They will be allowed 15% capacity, roughly 3,100 fans.

The NBA has been criticized by players, including LeBron James, for holding the All-Star Game during a pandemic. Silver was asked if there was pressure from others to stage the game.

He said there was not pressure from the teams, because he stated they ended up being on the side of the players.

“But, it is my job to look out for the overall interest of the league and as I said earlier, I haven’t made a secret out of the fact that economic interests are a factor,” Silver said.

He said the economics have less to do with just the one night having the game broadcast by TNT.

“It is more to do with the larger brand value of the NBA, that this is our No. 1 fan engagement event of the year,” he said. “Because we went forward with All-Star, not only did roughly 100 million people vote for the All-Stars on a global basis, based on past ratings, well over 100 million people will watch the game and the ancillary competitions, we’ll have over a billion social media views and engagements. And so it’s sort of what we do. And so for me, that would have been a bigger deal not to have it.”

He also responded to James’ comments that holding the All-Star Game was a “slap in the face”

“It would be incredibly hypocritical of me to say to LeBron that ‘you should speak out on issues that are important to you, but not ones when you’re critical of the league,’” Silver said. “So, we’re all part of a community. I respect him and his point of view, also at the same time I appreciate his professionalism ... My sense is he’s going to be here as he always is, as a top-notch professional and engaged in the game.”

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Silver weighed in on how he felt the first half of the season went.

“In terms of the first half of the season, it went essentially how we expected,” he said. “We ended up playing 95% of our games.”

Silver was asked about the lack of diversity in coaching and front office and ownership positions. For example, of the 30 NBA head coaches, seven are Black.

“It’s going to take certainly more than we’re doing now,” he said. “We’ve made progress over the years, but we’re constantly looking at how we can do it better.”