MANILA, Philippines — The NBA has reportedly entered into exploratory conversations with the Walt Disney Corporation to use one of its venues for the league's remaining games.
Per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, the NBA is eyeing a return in late July in Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida as the venue.
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The NBA has entered into exploratory conversations with the Walt Disney Corporation about restarting the remainder of its season at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida in late July, NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said Saturday.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) May 23, 2020
According to NBA spokesman Mike Bass, the Orlando venue will serve as a single site for an "NBA campus" for games, practices and housing.
Here’s the full quote from NBA spokesman Mike Bass on negotiations with Disney. pic.twitter.com/29YSod7f9i
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) May 23, 2020
"Our priority continues to be the health and safety of all involved, and we are working with public health experts and government officials on a comprehensive set of guidelines to ensure that appropriate medical protocols and protections are in place," Bass said in a statement.
The NBA has in been on hiatus since March 11 due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a number of its players have tested positive for the virus, including patient zero Rudy Gobert and teammate Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz.
All players, however, have already recovered from the disease.
The basketball league's planned return comes amid the still rising cases of the virus in the United States.
As of posting, there are almost 100,000 deaths in the country with over 1,600,000 confirmed cases.