Jeremy Lin, Lance Stephenson, and Sonny Weems are among the professional basketball players heading back to China for an April restart of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). The sports league is one of the first to emerge from hiatus after suspending its season due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The CBA was one of the first major league sports to shut down due to the pandemic. At the time, it seemed extreme. Players were stunned when their season abruptly ended, but a lot has happened since Jan. 24 and now.
The NBA suspended its season, and a number of NBA players have tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, the NBA may withhold players’ pay during the suspension. So, CBA players may be the lucky ones, in hindsight.
CBA Restart Good for Players and Sportsbooks
CBA players aren’t the only ones grateful for a season restart. There has been little left for bettors to wager on as sports shut down around the globe. The restart of the CBA, however, serves as a beacon of hope for players, fans, punters, and sportsbooks. Perhaps Jeremy Lin said it best.
“The world needs basketball now more than ever.”
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The CBA is expected to restart sometime in mid-April. Before that can happen, however, all foreign players who are returning to China will have to spend 14 days in quarantine. After all, now that China has finally gotten the spread of the coronavirus under control, the one thing they want to avoid is another flare up.
