Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban hopes the NBA will be able to resume the suspended 2019-20 season before June.
"I mean you know no one has perfect information right now, and so all decisions are tough," he told WFAA's Mike Leslie on Monday. "But, you know, if I had to guess based off the people I've talked to at the CDC and other places - I would say that the over/under would be June 1, and I'm taking the under."
Under the CDC's timeline, mass sporting events can't take place until mid-May. That's precisely when Cuban believes games could restart, though he concedes those contests would still likely be played behind closed doors.
"Hopefully by the middle of May, we're starting to get back to normal and the NBA is playing games," he said. "Maybe not with fans, but we're playing it because sports plays such an important role.
"You know, people want something to cheer for, people want something to rally around, people want something to be excited about."
Cuban is predicting an NBA return sooner than even the assumed best-case scenario. Team owners and executives reportedly felt last week that mid-to-late June is the most optimistic possibility following the CDC's recommendation to not gather in crowds of 50-plus people for at least eight weeks.
The NBA suspended the current campaign on March 11 after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus.
Following the decision, several other sports leagues and events around the world were postponed, suspended, or canceled, including the National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, and the NCAA Tournament, to name just a few.
Most recently, it was also confirmed the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo will be pushed back from the originally scheduled start date of July 24.
