Report: Lakers Players Think NBA Owners Want to Finish Regular Season, Playoffs

Members of the Los Angeles Lakers reportedly believe the NBA will eventually continue its 2019-20 season even after the league announced a suspension of the campaign due to concerns about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.  

According to Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times, Lakers players held a conference call with general manager Rob Pelinka and head coach Frank Vogel and left under the impression owners around the league are committed to finishing both the regular season and playoffs even if games go as late as August.

The NBA's decision to suspend its season was one of a number of notable developments around the sports world as a result of the coronavirus.

The NHL also suspended its season, while Major League Baseball canceled the rest of spring training and delayed the start of its regular season. The NCAA also canceled the men's and women's basketball tournaments.

Marc Stein of the New York Times noted the NBA advised players to remain at home if possible and told teams they cannot hold group events such as practices and meetings until at least Monday.

Dave McMenamin of ESPN added more context:

The Lakers' takeaways from their conference call echo those from Dallas Mavericks governor Mark Cuban during his appearance on ESPN's Get Up on Thursday. He said he believes the season will not be called off entirely but instead postponed later into the summer.

Los Angeles has the best record in the Western Conference and the second-best record in the NBA with legitimate championship aspirations at 49-14. 

According to CNN, more than 124,500 people have been infected and more than 4,600 people have died because of the coronavirus.