The NBA is returning in December, but fans will not immediately be coming back to Staples Center.
Lakers home games will be played without fans until further notice, the team announced Wednesday, a decision it said was based on guidance from state and local health officials. The Clippers have yet to formally announce their own plan but a person with knowledge of the situation said that the team also does not expect to begin the 2020-21 season with fans in the arena for home games.
The NBA regular season is slated to begin Dec. 22, just 71 days after the Lakers won the franchise’s 17th championship in Orlando, Fla., as part of the league’s “bubble” on the Disney World property. The NBA will play in teams’ own markets during the upcoming season, rather than a single site.
The last NBA game to be held in Staples Center was March 10, one day before the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown the NBA season.
Read the full story at LATimes.com.
