MUMBAI: NBA fans finally have reason to rejoice as NBA commissioner Adam Silver and the league office have intimated the board of governors about the new date, 31 July, for the season to return, according to Shams Charania of The Athletics.

During a meeting, Charania reports that the board of governors, and the league discussed four competition scenarios for resuming the season that includes 16 teams going directly to the playoffs, 20 teams participating in group/stage play or 22 teams competing to determine playoff seeding with a play-in tournament. This also includes holding a 72-game regular season with all 30 teams and a play-in tournament.

Recently, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Friday's Board of Governors meeting was not expected to arrive at a conclusion on a final play plan. On his official twitter account, he wrote, “As hard as owners and teams are pushing for proposals rooted in some level of self-interest, there's still a sense they'll give Silver the latitude to implement the plan that he lands on with the NBPA. Most expect that'll come inside the next week.”

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In fact, Hornets owner Michael Jordan advocated for players’ safety, Charania reports. According to Charania, given that the NBA is prioritizing health and safety first and foremost, a 30-team return is unlikely.

The league's plans also include holding a 24-team playoff in two hub cities with games to begin when things are back to normal.