The Chinese Basketball Association has delayed its return to action until May after having planned to resume play in early April, per NBC Sports.
The league made the controversial decision to call players back to China earlier this month, despite players being concerned with the risks of heading back while the coronavirus pandemic remained. Players were to begin practicing in mid-March with a view to an April restart but there is a belief that the CBA might not resume play this year at all.
“American players in China are starting to realize the league may not start,” a source told NBC. “We will likely see American players leaving China very soon.”
Top former NBA players signed to contracts with CBA teams include Lance Stephenson, Jeremy Lin, Ty Lawson, Shabazz Muhammad and Brandon Bass.
The NBA and other sports leagues had eyes on China as a test-case for the resurrection of their respective campaigns, but this latest decision has only served to intensify the worry as it relates to salvaging what’s left of the 2019/20 season.