NBA Approves 22-Team Format to Restart 2019-20 Season

The NBA Board of Governors voted and approved on Thursday, by a 29-1 margin, the league's plan to restart the 2019-20 regular season in Orlando, Florida, according to information provided by ESPN.

According to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver's plan, along with the league's advisory/financial committee, 13 teams from the Western Conference and 9 from the Eastern Conference will play 8 regular-season games, a possible tournament to determine the eighth seed, and the playoffs at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando.

The Board of Governors also approved the lottery for the draft on August 25 and the draft itself on October 15.

The approved plan includes the top 16 teams from both the Eastern and Western Conferences, along with the teams currently within 6 wins of the eighth seed in each conference: New Orleans, Portland, San Antonio, Sacramento, Phoenix, and Washington.

The potential play-in tournament will include the teams that finish in the eighth and ninth seeds, if the latter finishes the regular season four wins behind the former. In that case, the eighth and final playoff spot will be decided in an elimination tournament.

Teams will begin training at their facilities in July and complete their training in Orlando later that same month, before starting the competition.

The NBA and the Players' Union are negotiating details for the return related to safety protocols and the competition, as life in the league's bubble will be governed by a set of safety rules.

While players and coaches will be able to play golf or dine in outdoor restaurants, they will also have to maintain social distancing.

The NBA plans to conduct daily uniform coronavirus tests in the Disney campus environment, and if a player tests positive, the league's intention will be to remove them from the team, isolate them, treat them individually, and continue testing other teammates while they compete.

Employees at the Disney complex will have to maintain similar protocols.

For example, no personnel will be allowed in players' rooms, and hallways will be carefully managed to avoid crowding.

The NBA suspended its regular season on March 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic, after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus.