The NBA had continued to be hopeful for a resumption in play this weekend and that was confirmed on Friday by a joint statement from the league and NBPA.
While there's still some ironing out to do, all 13 teams on the NBA campus at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida were scheduled to practice on Friday. The league announced a practice slate that was scheduled to start with the defending NBA champion Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat.
The Raptors did indeed hold practice, but according to the Athletic's Blake Murphy decided to cancel the team's media availability following the session.
The Raptors have cancelled their post-practice media availability, citing the mental well-being of players and the team's desire to wait on further clarity about the situation.
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) August 28, 2020
In a statement issued by the NBA on Thursday, the league said the three playoff games scheduled for Aug. 27 will hopefully be played in the coming days. The WNBA, which postponed its games on Aug. 26, also postponed its games on Thursday night.
“NBA playoff games for today will not be played as scheduled. We are hopeful to resume games either Friday or Saturday," NBA Executive Vice President Mike Bass said in a statement released Thursday.
"There is a videoconference call meeting scheduled later this afternoon between a group of NBA players and team governors representing the 13 teams in Orlando, along with representatives from the National Basketball Players Association and the league office and NBA Labor Relations Committee Chairman Michael Jordan, to discuss next steps.”
Players across the NBA have been adamant that more needs to be done to effect social change after the recent police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisc.
Friday's games have now officially been postponed. A makeup date for the missed games has yet to be finalized or announced officially by the league.
More to come on the developing story.